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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815837">The Beginning of the End</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenHero_Achilles/pseuds/FallenHero_Achilles'>FallenHero_Achilles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Raccoon City Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Gore, Comedy, Complete, Drama, Expected Betrayal, F/M, First fanfiction I've written since 2013, Graphic Description of Corpses, Gun Violence, Horror, Plot, Zombies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:34:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenHero_Achilles/pseuds/FallenHero_Achilles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac Jericho Holiday is the newest member of the Raccoon City Police Department’s STARS Alpha team. A young former mercenary with a shady background, he joins the force seeking to make a difference and start a new chapter in his life. However, the enigmatic Umbrella Corporation controlling the city from within the shadows will soon turn his new life into a brand new nightmare.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rebecca Chambers/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Raccoon City Saga [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715929</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Trainee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He stands with his shoulders poised, his finger hovering above the trigger, leaning into the stock of the rifle as he maintains a firm grip onto the weapon’s vertical forward grip. Utilizing only an iron sight, he quickly ejects the weapon’s magazine and checks the contents—thirty round capacity—and slams it back home with an all too familiar sounding click. </p><p>A muscular older man with fair skin, short blonde movie-star like hair and large aviator glasses stands beside him, holding a timer in his hand as he sweeps his gaze across the training field. The sun is beaming down on all of them, yet neither of them sheds a single bead of sweat. Both men, despite barely knowing each other, possess a solid amount of combat prowess, experience with violence, and their own dark secrets. The younger man wears a blank expression as he holds the rifle, his heart thumping in his chest—not out of fear—out of pure excitement. </p><p>The blonde movie-star draws a handgun out of his belt holster—a customized Beretta M92f it would seem—and fires a single round into the air as he shoves his thump down upon the timer’s start button.</p><p>“Now!” He shouts.</p><p>The young trainee moves like a machine throughout the training course, wooden cutouts of men with guns sliding out from behind large crates via a spring mechanism, the young man shooting each one in the head with point-blank accuracy, spraying fragments of wood in all directions. His footwork is swift, his eyes detecting movement and carefully studying the moving targets before firing. A civilian cutout appears, he doesn’t fire. A man with an AK-47 appears only to be blown away. A little girl being held, hostage. The man holding her has his wooden head blown to pieces. </p><p>He moves throughout the course eliminating targets with deadly accuracy, quickly ejecting a single magazine before reaching into a pocket and shoving a fresh one home, heading that satisfying click before raising his gaze finding himself at the end of the course.  </p><p>The blonde movie-star is already there, his hair practically glowing in the afternoon sun as he raises a single eyebrow and refocuses his attention onto the trainee in front of him. The trainee lowers his assault rifle and exhales, his shoulders relaxing. </p><p>The movie-star flashes him the smallest of grins.</p><p>“Welcome to Alpha Team.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The new kid on the block</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Isaac arrives just in time for his welcoming party.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jill Valentine stood on top of a chair as she grunted in exasperation, tying a single thread around a small rod nailed into the wall as her colleague, Chris Redfield, tied his end of the thread around the rod on the wall closest to him. Printed in bright yellow letters onto blue plastic cards from a popular crafts shop were the words: Welcome Isaac!</p><p>While STARS already had a strong number of efficient and highly trained members, it wasn’t like the wold was growing any safer. Before arrival, it was common that a file containing basic information on upcoming members was spread amongst the team, allowing each member to gain a basic understanding of their skillset and personality.</p><p>To say that Jill wasn’t intrigued would be an understatement. </p><p>Isaac Jericho Holiday, age twenty (his birthday had been very recent). He possessed advanced marksman abilities among other technical abilities. How was someone as young as he was capable of that? Looking over to Chris, she noticed him wearing a mischievous grin, something she mainly saw when new officers joined the force. </p><p>“Hey, Chris?” She called.</p><p>“Hm?” He responded, breaking out of his reverie.</p><p>“Take it easy on the new guy. I think Captain Wesker is still pissed about the last little hazing session you pulled.”</p><p>“If I remember correctly, you were laughing too. Plus, his hair changed back to its normal color afterward, so no harm, no foul.”</p><p>‘Okay, it was pretty funny.’</p><p>“How’s it looking, Barry?”</p><p>The large man stood in front of the sign, watching it with careful eyes as he gave Chris and Jill his signature warm smile.</p><p>“It’s just right. Good work you too.”</p><p>Chris climbed down from the stool he’d been perched on and took a seat as he gazed at the welcome sign as well. It was pretty nice, and the blue balloons they’d blown up that surrounded the sign were a nice touch. </p><p>“Gotta say, this new guy’s got me curious. He’s pretty young to have that kind of combat experience. I’ve heard of high school kids running off to join the army but this is different.” Chris said aloud.</p><p>Barry was the only member of STARS who was married with two children of his own. The thought of someone young— well, not as young as his daughters but young nonetheless—fighting in some war zone in a far off country. Maybe he was overthinking this, maybe he wasn’t. Either way, something about their new member just didn’t feel right. </p><p>“You curious about him as well?” Jill asked Barry, noticing his eyebrows furrowed in thought.</p><p>“Yeah, I can’t help it to be honest. Chris has a point; how does someone that young pick up a set of skills like that?”</p><p>Jill shrugged. No one had met the guy in person yet, and Jill had no issue giving him the benefit of the doubt. As uptight as Captain Wesker often was, when it came to recognizing strong assets for the team, he was never wrong in his decisions. Regardless of the team, all of them were responsible for looking after one another. If Wesker saw him as reliable, Jill was sure she could as well. </p><p>The door to the STARS office opened and in strode Joseph Frost. He wore his signature red bandana as he had an excited spark in his eye.</p><p>“Yo! The new guy’s here! We need everyone in here so we can kick this thing off!”</p><p>It was natural that Joseph was excited. Isaac was set to arrive that Friday, and the members of STARS had decided that the best way to celebrate the weekend and break in the new guy would be to throw him a little bash. Well, maybe little was an understatement, given that Chris, Joseph, and Forest had brought in liquor despite their newest member being a solid year under the legal drinking age. Still, they assured her that what Wesker and the rest of the force didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.</p><p>As per usual, Jill kept her lips sealed. </p><p>It didn’t take long to assemble all members of STARS to prepare them for Isaac’s welcoming party. Chris had taken it upon himself to be the one to escort him through the station and to their office. In the back of her mind, she quietly hoped that Chris wouldn’t do anything too chaotic. Meanwhile, Jill noticed the young woman standing a mere six feet away from her, leaning against a wall while trying—and kinda failing—to not look nervous. With short auburn hair and bright green eyes, Rebecca Chambers wasn’t the only new member on the team. She’d only been with them for about three months, but the eighteen-year-old was still learning her way. Rebecca noticed Jill looking her way and gave her a shy smile. Jill approached the girl and threw an arm around her in an attempt to calm her nerves.</p><p>“Think about this way, given that both of you are new, I’m sure you guys will hit it off. And you never know…he looks pretty cute in the photo that came with his report. Maybe you guys could…get to know each other better.” Jill said, wearing a mischievous grin of her own as the younger woman blushed.</p><p>“I don’t know. He’s probably not into nerdy type. I mean, you saw that file! What if he’s more of the Rambo type?” </p><p>“Rambo had a soft side!” Jill said incredulously. “Think about Chris. He tries to sell himself as a badass all the time, but I know he’s a big softie on the inside. You should hear him when he’s on the phone with his younger sister. You’d think he was talking to a kid!”</p><p>Rebecca couldn’t help but chuckle at that bit of info. Feeling a bit more relaxed, she looked toward the entrance of the STARS office and sighed inwardly. </p><p>‘It’ll be nice to have another newbie working with us. I know my way around that station pretty well, so maybe I could give him a tour…?’</p><p> </p><p>The first thing he noticed about Isaac was that the photo didn’t do him enough justice. Isaac was tall and had an athletic build, caramel toned skin shining in the light of the RPD main hall as he ran a hand through his short curly black hair. He was pretty good looking, but Chris spotted a faint scar on the side of his neck that he was seemingly trying to hide behind the collar of his crimson leather jacket. In fact, the jacket was very stylish, the rear possessing a design featuring an angel wing and a demon wing, the words made in heaven inscribed on the back in beautiful handwriting.</p><p>Chris liked his style.</p><p>Isaac approached the alpha team member, a slight grin on his face.</p><p>“Chris Redfield, if I’m not mistaken? He asked.</p><p>“Nailed it. Welcome to Raccoon City! By the way, I dig that jacket man. My sister and I both rock the same design. I haven’t seen one with that demon wing though, but it looks pretty badass.”</p><p>“Got it from my brother a couple of years back. Told me it’s good luck; but since the last girl he hooked up with stole his wallet and slashed his tires while he still had it, I think the luck is gone.”</p><p>Yep, Chris and Isaac were going to get along just fine.</p><p> </p><p>Isaac hadn’t been to a party in quite some time. While this was nothing wild or crazy like the ones he’d been to previously, it was sweet. He met every member of STARS from both alpha and bravo team. Kenneth had been incredibly welcoming, glad to see another man of color on the force. Isaac and Barry both got to bond over their love of guns—which quickly led to them making plans to have a shooting match—and Joseph Frost had a filthy sense of humor, which was something both young men had in common. Isaac made sure to maintain his composure when he shook hands with Jill Valentine. While Isaac was never the shy type around women, the voice in his head repeatedly stated: holy shit. What could he say? Jill was a vixen. Plus, the woman was only a few years older than him. The possibility of—</p><p>‘Bro, she’s your co-worker. Knock it off.’</p><p>Wesker didn’t stick around, leaving that party after five minutes due to ‘other business.’ Regardless, Isaac didn’t show any mercy when he did a perfect impression of the STARS captain the moment the door shut behind him.</p><p>“I have far more important work to do than stay here with you fools.” Isaac mocked in the nasally accented voice that definitely belonged to their captain.</p><p>“Holy shit that was good!” Chris laughed as he clapped his hands. </p><p>Isaac laughed in his seat as he tried to catch his breath.</p><p>“Wait, wait! I’ve got another line.”</p><p>“I wear my sunglasses at night because none of you are worthy of seeing the perfection that is my eyes. I act like I have a stick up my ass because I see that Barry has a bigger gun than me!”</p><p>The entire office erupted into laughter at his perfect delivery. Barry chortled the loudest at the mention of his name in the last line of the joke. Even the reserved Rebecca Chambers couldn’t help but hold her stomach as he laughed the hardest she’d had in months.</p><p>“Alright! My bad! I shouldn’t make fun of the captain when I haven’t even been here for a fucking hour!” Isaac said as he tried to control his laughter. </p><p>Forest clapped him on the shoulder.</p><p>“Nah, you’re fine. Wesker’s a hardass but he’s not a bad guy. I think.”</p><p>For the first time in quite a while, Isaac enjoyed himself. However, something a tad odd did happen when he met Rebecca Chambers. He stole away to the other side of the office where she had been sitting at her desk, eating a slice of the cake they’d gotten for the party. He sat down right next to her and looked her dead in the eye—only to forget how to speak.<br/>
He quickly cleared his throat before forcing his brain to allow him to go back to being a competent human being.</p><p>“Hey! I don’t think we’ve met yet, but I heard you’re also new here.” He swore inwardly. </p><p>‘What is this? High school? Why are you feeling so weird around her?’</p><p>“Yeah, I’ve been here for almost three months now. I’m the team medic and chemical expert. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.”</p><p>The two sat in awkward silence for a brief few seconds.</p><p>“Hey, um, Rebecca; I know you haven’t been here a year yet, but I’m not too familiar with Raccoon City and how you guys really operate here. I mean, I know what I’m doing but I—” He stumbled over his words as he tried to explain to her that he didn’t know his way around the police station well at all. Nor the city, for all that matter. He knew enough to find his apartment, but he had lots of exploring to do.</p><p>“I can give you a tour of a station when you report on Monday. Plus, um, if you’d like…we can explore Raccoon City together, if you want. I’ve lived here for years, and I know my way around pretty well.”</p><p>Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>“It’s a date then.”</p><p>The two of them both blushed, Isaac silently cursing himself.</p><p>“Yeah, just give me your address and I’ll meet you at your place. We can just walk around the city all day, see the sights, learn some history. It’ll be fun.”</p><p>For the first time in a while, Isaac felt an odd kind of warmth that set him at ease. He’d come here to start a new chapter, and seeing how today had gone, things were on the the right track.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Citywide Shenanigans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Being an enforcer gets you a front-row seat to lots of drama. Meanwhile, Chris pulls a prank that Isaac won't soon forget.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sir, can you please calm down and come with me? You’re scaring all of these people and I don’t want anyone here getting hurt, and that includes you.”</p>
<p>Isaac’s patience was wearing thin. Incredibly thin.</p>
<p>To begin, it was eight in the morning, and he was on duty. However, that wasn't the primary issue. He loved his job; his main problem was the fact that he was standing in front of a police cruiser in the parking lot of an apartment complex, a man with a bloody gash on his head standing on top of a car with a knife in his hand. Standing below him and pleading with him to calm down was a woman who was apparently his wife. Completely naked and wearing nothing but a bloodstained sheet was another man sitting inside the car, his hands in the air in fear of potentially getting shot. </p>
<p>“You come into my place, fuck my wife, and think you can just leave? Fuck you man! Fuck you!”</p>
<p>His wife called out to her husband.</p>
<p>“Jerry! I’m so sorry! It didn’t mean anything I swear!”</p>
<p>The angry man turned his attention on her.</p>
<p>“How could you! I thought our marriage was fine! What does he have that I don’t, huh? I’ve seen his cock babe, and there is no way that shit is better than mine.”</p>
<p>The window of the car rolled down as the naked man shouted up to him.</p>
<p>“She moaned like a fucking wildebeest you asshole!”</p>
<p>It took every fiber of Isaac’s being to avoid laughing at that insult. Isaac loved watching dramas like this on TV, but having to deal with it in person, at eight in the fucking morning was a different story. There were other officers on the scene too, one of them having her back turned to the scene, laughing into her sleeve as she barely contained her composure. Her partner stood by Isaac’s side, also doing his best to calm the situation down.</p>
<p>“Sir, I’m gonna ask you to put the knife down. Please cooperate with us so we can figure this all out.”</p>
<p>“Screw that,” the man shouted. “I’m gonna cut his fucking balls off and shove em down his throat!”</p>
<p>Yikes, this guy was pissed.</p>
<p>Isaac sighed. </p>
<p>This was going to be a long-ass day.</p>
<p>	***</p>
<p>“To make a long story short, the dude tried to cut this other dude’s dick and balls off because he walked in on him screwing his wife. But here’s the best part guys; the home wrecker said, and I quote: ‘she moaned like a fucking wildebeest!’”</p>
<p>Forest and Joseph broke into fits of laughter as Isaac retold the story.</p>
<p>“Then the guy gets out of the car and starts fighting the husband. The husband still had the knife and cut the other guy’s face up pretty good before we were able to separate them. Still, that is not how I wanted to start the day. I had to wrestle this dude to the ground with his dick flapping in the damn wind.” Isaac said with a grimace.</p>
<p>“Okay, but what about the wife, man? Do you think it was worth watching her husband get tased just so she could get some dick?” Joseph asked.</p>
<p>Isaac chuckled.</p>
<p>“I don’t think she was being honest y’all. When she came running out that apartment her hair was all wild and she still had a bunch of stains all over her sweatpants. I don’t know how long those two were going at it but she had his spunk all in her hair and shit. They were having a good ole time before her husband came back. I felt bad for using the taser though. I mean, I’d be pissed too if I came home and found the person I married with a mouthful of someone else’s dick.”</p>
<p>Forest and Joseph cracked up even more. They were on a lunch break at the moment, and to be completely honest, dealing with a damaged marriage and wrestling a naked man onto cold asphalt had been the highlight of his day. While Isaac had been working for the RPD for a good eight weeks now, there was a sense of dread creeping up his spine with every passing day. See, Isaac learned that a prank from Chris was coming his way, and given Chris’s behavior around the newbie, the time was coming.</p>
<p>That evening, Isaac made his way to the men’s locker room to take a much-needed shower. He’d had to deal with another chaotic scene today, and while no one got seriously hurt, Isaac did get vomited on. Don’t ask.</p>
<p>Standing in front of the locker room, he was met by the sweet scent of soap that caught him off guard. The men’s locker room usually had more masculine scented soaps as chosen by whoever was using it. Still, Barry was known for using soaps with sweet scents and so was Kevin. Casting that thought aside, Isaac casually strode in and looked for an open locker. Stripping out his shirt and leaving him in only his cargo pants and boots, he heard the sound of nearby curtain opening followed by a sudden gasp. Isaac whipped his head around and almost suffered a heart attack on the spot.</p>
<p>A woman had slid open the main curtain that separated the main shower area from the locker room. From where he stood, he saw a fully nude woman with jet black hair standing in front of him. A moment passed where the two just eyed each other. Isaac was bare-chested, revealing his toned abs and dark skin, his body covered in a large number of combat scars. Around his neck and gleaming in the light was a silver crescent moon pendant.</p>
<p>He struggled to articulate a response that would possibly fix the situation, but it was clear that shit had gone south. </p>
<p>“I am so sorry! The sign outside said men and I walked in so—”</p>
<p>Then he noticed that she wasn’t the only woman in the shower area. From where he stood, he could see every naked body that in back there. Among the female officers that were showering, Jill Valentine was among them. She turned around to see what was the matter and froze. Meanwhile, the woman in front of him put a hand on her hip and laughed.</p>
<p>“Honey, if you wanted to see what was under my blues, you could’ve just asked.”</p>
<p>Isaac suppressed a laugh as he raised a hand to cover his eyes.</p>
<p>He heard Jill shout.</p>
<p>“Chris you little shit!”</p>
<p>***	</p>
<p>Chris booked it the moment he found out that Jill was out for his blood. Word had spread throughout the entire station about what had happened. Thankfully, no one was too upset, knowing that Chris had a tendency to do shit like this, such as switching the signs for the men and women’s locker rooms. It was an easy mistake to make, given that both rooms looked exactly the same and were separated by a single wall. Still, it was incredibly awkward to sit in the STARS office with Jill that evening.</p>
<p>When the time came for Isaac to clock out for the day, Jill stopped him before he could leave.</p>
<p>“Okay, because I know you’re thinking it, and something like this was bound to happen, so I’ll just say it. Whatever is on your mind about what happened, about what you saw, you can tell me. You’ll feel better if you just say it out loud and get it out of your system.” She said boldly.</p>
<p>“Seriously?”</p>
<p>“Yep.”</p>
<p>“You’ve got a rockin bod Jill, and I’m being serious. You’ve got really nice abs, your bust is nice, and those thighs and that booty are pretty nice too. Basically, you’re in great physical condition. What gym do you go to?”</p>
<p>That response caught Jill off guard. Like, way off guard.</p>
<p>The look of confusion on her face must have given it away, as Isaac immediately raised his hands in his defense.</p>
<p>“I don’t mean to sound weird, but I really do appreciate the human body. Like, you take care of yourself girl. You carry yourself with pride. Keep at it!”</p>
<p>With that, Isaac turned on his heels and left the building, leaving Jill completely perplexed as to what the fuck she just heard. Isaac was definitely different from most of the guys here. Most men would drool at the sight of so many women showering. Isaac had completely kept his cool. Was he not into women? Either way, she was accepting of anyone and everyone. Still, what he’d said to her had her feeling…empowered?</p>
<p>In the coming days, Isaac would walk around the police station only to be given a thumbs up by nearly every male officer on the force. Barry would laugh to himself when the two locked eyes one morning in the STARS office. Brad Vickers would raise an eyebrow and mouthed 'nice!' Joseph wanted every single detail of what Isaac saw that day, and Isaac had enough sense to keep his damn mouth shut. </p>
<p>All in all, this had been a very, eh, strange week for the newbie.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Movie Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A movie night between two friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hold on, you’ve never seen Pulp Fiction?” Isaac asked the green-eyed medic as the two walked down a quiet street, children playing outside as schools across the city had dismissed their students an hour prior. Rebecca shrugged.</p><p>“I’ve heard of it but I never took the time to actually go to a theater and see it. How good is it, because I’ve heard that it’s a bit overrated.”</p><p>Isaac laid a hand over his heart and gasped dramatically.</p><p>“That is heresy! Anyway, I’m glad we’re doing this thing then. You need to learn how to appreciate good cinema when it’s in front of you! My place is another block up this way, follow me.”</p><p>When they made it into his apartment building and walked up three flights of stairs, Isaac slid his key into the door and pushed the door wide open, making a gesture with his hand for the young woman to come in.</p><p>“Make yourself at home.”</p><p>Isaac’s apartment was a cheap place that he managed to make look like something far more lavish. The entire place had been repainted to have ivory ceilings and bronze painted walls. On said walls were framed posters from numerous films such as John Carpenter’s The Thing, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and an animated film called AKIRA. </p><p>“Yeah, if it wasn’t obvious already, I’m a huge pop culture nerd.”</p><p>“Oh, I can tell,” she said as her excitement grew. “I just noticed your Spirited Away poster. That was the first movie that actually made me cry.”</p><p>“I’ve shown that movie to some of the most hardcore men that I know, and even they shed tears. I’m trying to tell ya, a good story makes you feel. Now, shall we get started?”</p><p> </p><p>“English mothafucka do you speak it!” The powerful voice of Samuel L. Jackson shouted from the stereo speaker that Isaac had set up to his TV. He lay back on his sofa with his feet kicked up onto his coffee table, tearing into a slice of pizza that he’d ordered as Rebecca kept her eyes glued to the screen. To say she was mesmerized was an understatement. See, Isaac had a huge love for anthology fiction, this idea that multiple stories featuring wildly different characters could take place in within the same world.</p><p>Isaac glanced over at the green-eyed medic and had to hold back a laugh. She sat with her legs crossed on the sofa, literally on the edge of her seat as she rocked back and forth like a little kid seeing some kind of spectacle for the first time. She looked adorable, to say the least.</p><p>Then the infamous scene where Bruce Willis’s character and Marcellus Wallace became trapped in the sex dungeon came on. Rebecca tilted her head curiously as she saw the actor in the gimp suit for the first time. </p><p>“Wait, what the hell is he wearing. What are they about to—”</p><p>The gimp proceeds to start fucking the mob boss up the ass.</p><p>“Holy shit!”</p><p>Isaac burst out laughing, nearly choking on his pizza.</p><p>The younger woman was completely red in the face as she continued to watch the horrific scene play out.</p><p>“I don’t wanna see it but I can’t look away!”</p><p>“Yep, Tarantino will do that to ya.”</p><p>They proceeded to binge a number of other movies as well. Some crime, some drama, but the horror films were the ones Isaac enjoyed the most. What he quickly learned was that Rebecca absolutely had zero tolerance for body horror. As they were watching The Thing he noticed her face had taken on a shade of green that no human should ever reach. She placed her hands over her eyes and shoved her face into a nearby pillow, Isaac no longer bothering to hold back his laughter as the scene played out before him.</p><p>“You want me to turn it off?”</p><p>“Mmhmm…”</p><p>He picked up a nearby remote and shut off the movie. When the TV screen went dark, the young medic slowly pulled her hands away from her eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry, but I cannot deal with gross stuff like that. I’ve studied cadavers before out of research, but that’s an entirely new level of disgusting.”</p><p>Isaac glanced at his watch and his eyes widened.</p><p>“It’s nearly two in the morning, and I could use some sleep. Since it’s so late, or early, you might as well stay over. You can take my bed. I’ll sleep here on the couch.” He said as he rose to his feet and stretched with a yawn.</p><p>“No, I don’t wanna do that to you. We can share your bed if you’d like.”</p><p>“Do you feel comfortable sharing a bed with me?”</p><p>“You’re a sweetheart, Isaac. I heard about the whole locker room thing from Jill and you didn’t say a word about what happened to anyone. I trust you.”</p><p>Rebecca walked into his bedroom first and began to get settled in while Isaac threw away the empty pizza boxes. He was just about to grab himself a glass of water when he heard an earsplitting scream come of his bedroom.</p><p>“There’s a fat-ass spider on the wall! Kill it!”</p><p>Isaac burst into yet another fit of laugher. Just when the excitement is dying down it suddenly kicks right back up again.</p><p>That night, Rebecca held onto Isaac with a vice grip, thoughts of the monster movies she’d watched earlier combined with the gross spider she saw haunting her mind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. First Blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mysterious murders leave the RPD puzzled as rumors begin to spread.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was an ordinary home in one of Raccoon City’s suburban neighborhoods. White picket fences, expensive homes, a strong schooling system, and a relatively safe area with a neighborhood watch group. Despite these things, it was still home to one of the most brutal murders to take place in that neighborhood. Isaac and Chris had been summoned to the scene first, Isaac taking point as they entered the home through the front door. </p>
<p>The call had come in at 10:30 pm from a concerned neighbor. There had been reports of screams and shouts coming from the house. Seeing how quiet the neighborhood was on a daily basis, it made perfect sense that something like this would have everyone within a listening distance more than startled. </p>
<p>Isaac held his flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other, aiming the beam down the entry hall where he could clearly see a massive trail of blood leading from the front door into what looked to be the kitchen. 	<br/>“We’ve got blood, lots of it. Someone’s either dead or in critical condition.” Isaac said to Chris as he motioned for him to keep him covered. Chris’s finger hovered above the trigger of his handgun, nodding in response as they pushed up further toward the kitchen. Isaac entered the dark kitchen first, his beam following the trail of blood until the beam illuminated a shoe still attached to a foot. Pointing the beam further, Isaac couldn’t help but gasp as his heart skipped a beat.</p>
<p>A man in what could have been his mid to late thirties was laid upon the floor. His jaw and much of his face had been completely torn off; his face a mass of loose muscle fibers and exposed bone, a massive pool of blood staining the tiled white floor. His abdomen had been torn open, his intestines all but gone while the remainder of his innards lay in pieces around him. The air was heavy with the metallic scent of blood and the stench of bodily fluids.</p>
<p>“Fucking hell.” Was all Chris could manage before Isaac stepped out of the kitchen, struggling to suppress the bile that threatened to rise out of his throat and spill upon the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They found several other bodies in the house when their backup had arrived. The entire family, consisting of a husband, wife, two sons, and a daughter had all turned up dead. Their bodies were all mutilated beyond recognition, the coroner reporting that they had been apparently eaten. To make matters worse, there were absolutely no witnesses to what had happened. There were no signs of forced entry, but the house was a complete mess, giving away that there had definitely been a fight for survival that was inevitably lost. Still, nothing was missing from the home. Nothing of value had been taken. As the days passed, several hikers went missing in the Arklay Mountain area. While the forests and mountain range that surrounded Raccoon City were famous for their hiking trails, it was actually uncommon for people to go missing. With park rangers going on constant patrols and fire watchtowers spread throughout the area at strategic locations, and the sheer number of signs found at every trail, it was pretty hard to get lost. So, when several hikers went missing within one week, the RPD was quite stumped. That was until another group of hikers stumbled across a camping site that belonged to some very dead hikers.</p>
<p>Numerous theories surfaced in regard to the missing and dead hikers. The Arklay Mountains were known to contain wild animals ranging from bears to coyotes. While many believed that they were unfortunately killed by wild animals, the coroner had said otherwise. Like the murders that happened in the city prior, the bite marks found on the corpses belonged to that of an adult male and female.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>In the coming days, the body count would rise with more hikers being found dead in the Raccoon Forest area. However, this time around there were witness reports claiming that feral looking dogs had been seen near the bodies. Sure enough, autopsy reports confirmed that many of the hikers had been torn apart and eaten by a pack of dogs, as noted by the bite marks matching that of wild dogs and the canine saliva found on the bodies. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, more theories began to spread like wildfire around the city as people tried to come up with some kind of logical explanation for the murders. The biggest theory out there that had gained immense traction was that there was a cult made up of psychopathic cannibals living in the Raccoon Forest. They’d journey to the city at night and attack a household at random and slink away without anyone seeing them. Of course, the other part of the theory was that they also prayed upon unsuspecting hikers that were foolish enough to wander into their woods. </p>
<p>No one was sure what to believe, but the idea of a cannibal cult did sound at least semi-logical. Cults had been a problem in the country for quite some time, but no one on the force had heard of a cult of psychos who enjoyed eating people. Were they some sort of group that worshipped Jeffrey Dahmer? </p>
<p>Still, while the body count continued to rise, they were slowly succeeding in tracing the murders to a specific source. Most of the murders that took place directly in the city had actually taken place on the RC outskirts, not far from Raccoon Forest. They had kept a note of every campsite that had been attacked and every spot where specific corpses were found in the forest area. If they could just narrow down the area further, they might be able to find the place where the killers were hiding. </p>
<p>Isaac rested his head on his desk and sighed in exasperation. </p>
<p>Joseph Frost slid his chair over, noticing Isaac sitting with his head down.</p>
<p>“Freaky shit, am I right?”</p>
<p>“I’ve seen some freaky shit, but this takes the cake man.”</p>
<p>“I’m just hoping we find these guys soon. People are getting scared out there, and I’m not a fan of letting some cannibal freaks wandering around our town at night.”</p>
<p>“Either way, what bothers me the most is that I kinda have a bad feeling about this. Whenever we meet these people, whatever comes next is not gonna be pretty. If these guys are as crazy as the rumors say they are, I doubt they’ll listen to reason.”</p>
<p>Joseph couldn’t help but scoff.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t worry too much. We’ve got solid firepower here. If they decide that they want to go out fighting, then we should respond in kind, know what I mean.”</p>
<p>Isaac couldn’t suppress his grin.</p>
<p>“Amen to that.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Qurantine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Something in the air...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unbeknownst to the citizens of Raccoon City, there was a massive estate nestled deep within the Arklay Mountains. Surrounded by a lush forest teeming with immense biodiversity and breathtaking views, it was the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. However, the most alluring scenes have the most terrifying secrets.</p>
<p>Within the walls of this harrowing estate and trapped within the confines a modest bedroom was a man who hadn’t shaved in well over a week. Usually, a stickler for personal hygiene, keeping his beard trimmed was the last thing on his mind. He had kept his bedroom door locked, and made as little noise as possible as he sat at his desk, a pen in his hands as he silently wrote into an open journal sitting beneath his desk lamp.</p>
<p>‘A researcher came to my door five days ago and handed me a hazard suit. When I asked him what had happened, he told me that there had been an accident in the lab and a pathogen had managed to escape via the air-ducts. I’m far from an expert, and I’m working with limited information. While it is possible for certain pathogens to become airborne, not many of them are capable of surviving for long periods of time without a host, and often dissipate. I spent far too many nights in that suit, and I’ve finally taken it off. I don’t feel any different, but the last time I saw that researcher, he urged me to keep that door locked until further notice. I’ve never seen someone with so much fear in their eyes.’</p>
<p>He was growing impatient, and though it was a figment of his imagination, the walls were slowly but surely closing in on him. Seeing the same dark grey wallpaper, the same bed linens, the same tired expression in the bathroom mirror was slowly driving him to brink of insanity. He had his journal, his pens, the many novels and magazines that lined the bookshelf in his room, but there was something else he had inside of him, something that refused to stop gnawing at him.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to stay here. He wanted to know just what was happening beyond that locked door.</p>
<p>So, he rose to his feet and pulled the key from his desk, inserting the key and turning it with a satisfying click. He stood there for the longest time with his hand around the knob, waiting with bated breath for someone to suddenly kick his door in and scold him for disobeying the order to remain in quarantine. He turned the knob and cracked the door open a few inches, the sound of groaning wood making him wince.</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>He opens the door wider, taking a single step into the hallway that he’d walked through time after time. Only, as he stood in the doorway glancing to his left and then to his right, he knew that something was incredibly wrong. </p>
<p>The silence was so deafening that he could hear the distant scream of the wind whipping against the mansion. On a regular basis he’d hear the muffled conversations taking place with each room on that floor, people chatting with one another, or making phone calls to friends or loved ones. Maybe a group of people was heading to the dining room for lunch or dinner. Occasionally he’d hear the clinking of glass bottles containing wine. </p>
<p>All of those sounds of life were now gone, replaced by this cold dead auditory void.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nightmares are often born from the ghosts of our pasts.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’s on his hands and knees, his body covered in a thick sheet of cold sweat as his heart throbs like a wild beast and his blood turns to ice. He’s unable to control the shaking as his body remains locked into its current position, his brain screaming for his legs and arms to move but the best they can muster is constant vibration. His mouth opens but no sound spills forth, releasing nothing but a silent scream as the little monster in his chest desperately tries to claw its way out.</p>
<p>After an eternity he slowly raises his head to see that he’s surrounded on all sides by shadow figures. They make up a swirling black mass, materializing for a few seconds into a form that resembles a man, a woman, a child, and then something entirely non-human. This swirling mass encircles him, whispering unknown words as his hands clamp themselves over his ears.</p>
<p>“It means nothing.” He says to the darkness, his voice working again.</p>
<p>The whispers continue.</p>
<p>“It’s data! It’s nothing more than data! It’s worthless!” He’s screaming now, his hands clamped even tighter over his ears as his shaking worsens, the sweat running down his face, his stomach filling with bile as the world began to swim before his eyes, seeing those all too familiar black dots dancing before his vision.</p>
<p>“I’m telling you the truth! I’m worthless! I’m—”</p>
<p>Isaac sits bolt upright, his heart racing as he falls unceremoniously out of bed and runs into the bathroom, vomiting into the toilet as he collapses onto weak knees. He’s coughing and wheezing violently, vomiting even more as the images from the nightmare remain embedded in his mind.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t mean shit.” He says to no one in particular.</p>
<p>“None of those numbers mean shit. The fact that he has them, the fact that everyone saw them is just—”</p>
<p>He wipes his mouth and flushes the bile down the toilet, rising on shaking knees to look at himself in the mirror. Nothing was different on the exterior, but he knew that there was nothing but chaos going on within the interior. Behind the jokes, behind the smiles, behind mask he’d been wearing, was something not quite insidious, but something broken beyond repair. </p>
<p>Opening the medicine cabinet and picking up the orange pill bottle, he popped two of the tablets into his mouth and washes them down with water, sighing as he felt a warmth quickly sweep through his body, his heart rate slowing and his hands ceasing to shake. </p>
<p>Words he hadn’t heard in such a long time echo throughout his mind, fists clenched as memories of the not-so-distant-past rose to the surface once again.</p>
<p>“Focus on the task at hand. Keep your concentration locked onto your mission objective and just keep walking towards it. Never look back, and never hesitate. You have to be stronger than this.”</p>
<p>He turns on the sink’s faucet and splashes cold water onto his face, looking into the mirror at his still tired expression. It’s been quite some time since his last panic attack. Isaac initially thought that new scenery would be a decent way to get them to stop but…</p>
<p>Apparently he was wrong.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Reporter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A mysterious reporter approaches...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lydia Richards was the kind of person who primarily operated in the shadows. An international reporter who had traveled the world three times over and had covered even the most war-torn countries on the planet. While she wouldn’t say that she always got away unscathed, she was far from a pushover. She’d learned at a young age how to handle a gun and how to hit people where it hurt, physically, and mentally. And while she tried her hardest to avoid it, Lydia wasn’t above killing in self-defense.</p>
<p>She didn’t fear anything.</p>
<p>However, even as she sat in a helicopter flying over the dense Raccoon Forest towards the midwestern city of Raccoon City, she couldn’t help but feel a slight shiver run up her spine. A little bird had informed of her of a developing situation going in the city, apparently a string of gruesome murders involving victims that had been mainly eaten.</p>
<p>The reporter grimaced.</p>
<p>She immediately thought back to the Dahmer case that had happened a few years prior. As big a taboo that cannibalism was, it seemed to be all the rage nowadays. Either way, as curious as mystified as Lydia was by this case, it wasn’t what she was here for. While the citizens of Raccoon City were becoming afraid to go out at night, Lydia couldn’t give two shits. Given that she carried a .45 caliber m1911 with at all times, she wasn’t concerned about a group of Dahmer wannabes who wanted to take a bite out of her.  </p>
<p>So what was her primary target for this particular investigation?</p>
<p>The Umbrella Corporation. </p>
<p>As the helicopter grew closer to the industrial city and began to make its descent, Lydia couldn’t help but smile.</p>
<p>‘I don’t know what it is that you’re hiding, but I will find it. Everything lurking in the darkness must eventually face the light someday.'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Into the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Bravo team heads into the Arklay Mountains to track down those responsible for the killings. Contact is lost with them a short time later. Unable to establish contact with their comrades, Alpha team heads into the mountains to track them down.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was on. </p>
<p>All of the members of STARS were gathered into a briefing room as Captain Albert Wesker and Captain Enrico Marini stood before an expansive map of Raccoon City and the surrounding Arklay Mountain and forest range. Annotations had been made in a black marker that everyone immediately recognized. Every location in which bodies had been found, each location connected to one another to form a definite search area.</p>
<p>While invisible to the naked eye, there was a high amount of energy in the air. They finally had leads to work with and a definite area of interest to investigate. While each member had a differentiating level of nervousness and stress, there was one person among them who remained as stoic as ever. </p>
<p>Captain Albert Wesker maintained his expressionless gaze across the room as he and Enrico briefed the other members. Bravo team was to be dispatched into the search area first, with Alpha team serving as backup should they need any. </p>
<p>The next several minutes passed by in a blur as both teams prepared for what was coming next. Isaac’s gear consisted of black military-like fatigues with a STARS twist. Black cargo pants and a tactical belt and vest that held a holster for his sidearm as well as other pockets containing various other equipment in addition to ammunition. He now carried the iconic custom Beretta M92f known amongst the other members as the Samurai Edge. As nice as the handgun was, Isaac, carried a second sidearm as well: a custom-built .45 caliber m1911 with a ported frame and an extended magazine capable of holding a total of eighteen rounds. Engraved on the barrel were the words: With Love from Reggie’s Arms. On the other side of the barrel was the name: STI Eagle v6.0. This gun was kept on a holster that he kept strapped to his vest. His main weapon was a modified Heckler &amp; Koch HK416 with a shortened barrel and stock, making it fit the profile of a submachine gun while having less weight. The final touch was the KA-BAR combat knife he kept in a sheath on the rear of his belt. Armed to the teeth and ready for action, Isaac stood on the roof of the RPD, leaning against the roof entryway as he watched the helicopter holding the entirety of Bravo team liftoff. Edward waved to him from his pilot’s seat, his visor covering his eyes but not hiding the sly smile on his face. Isaac waved back as he watched the chopper head off into the unknown as the sun continued its descent over the horizon, casting a golden glow upon the world below. <br/>The STARS office remained busy as Alpha team remained in radio contact with Bravo team. Minutes turned into hours, and then things to an odd turn.</p>
<p>Brad Vickers rose out of his seat, one hand on his headset while the other rested on the communications console that connected them to Bravo team.</p>
<p>“Bravo team, come in. This is Vickers. I repeat, Bravo team, what is your status?”</p>
<p>They received nothing but radio silence. Wesker stood beside Brad as he too attempted to make contact with Bravo team. Multiple attempts were made to establish contact with Alpha team, and all of them resulted in failure. With no other options available, Alpha team found themselves boarding the other RPD helicopter and setting off into the night, thunder booming in the distance as a shiver when down Isaac’s spine.</p>
<p>A storm was coming</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Jill Valentine’s heart pounded in her chest as the helicopter touched down onto solid ground, the propellers of the helicopter slowing to a halt as the members of STARS Alpha team hopped out and stepped into the dense, pitch-black forest, the only light coming from that of their flashlights and the haunting light of the full moon above. Albert Wesker remained stoic, shades giving his face a rather menacing visage as he motioned to his team with a single hand. </p>
<p>“Fan out and search for any traces of Bravo team. Keep your guard up, and keep those radios active.”</p>
<p>Jill picked a direction and set off, her flashlight in one hand and her handgun in the other, sweeping her beam across the forest as she searched for anything of interest. Despite it being Summer, that particular night in the forest was incredibly cold, and while her vest offered her some warmth her arms were exposed by the short sleeves of her blue uniform, silently thankful that she had remembered to wear her RPD beret that night.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Joseph Frost silently made his way through the forest on his own path, a flashlight mounted his assault shotgun providing him with enough light to navigate his way through the ethereal place. Thunder boomed overhead, and Joseph silently cursed their luck. Not only was it cold out here, but he was not in the mood to get soaked in the rain.  A glint of light several feet away caught his eye, and Joseph picked up the pace, keeping his finger above the trigger as he made his way towards the glinting object.</p>
<p>As he grew closer, the object grew larger in its size, he cast his beam upon it, catching his. Breath as he realized what he was facing. He spotted the bright yellow letters painted onto the side of the helicopter, its propellors bent at severe angles that confirmed that this bird would never take to the skies again.</p>
<p>Joseph held a finger to his radio, narrowing his eyes in the darkness.</p>
<p>“This is frost. I’ve found Bravo team’s down chopper, I’m checking for survivors now, over.”</p>
<p>“Keep us updated, and watch your back, Frost.” Chris’s voice crackled over the radio.</p>
<p>Joseph crept around toward’s the chopper’s left side and aimed his beam into its interior. There was nothing to be found within the interior. No traces of blood, no signs of a struggle. Making his way to the cockpit, Joseph shined his beam through the shattered window and nearly dropped his weapon. </p>
<p>Edward Dewey was still in the pilot’s seat, a large piece of debris having impaled him through the chest. His eyes were closed, blood trickling from his open mouth as he was slumped over in his seat.</p>
<p>“Mother fucker!” Joseph hissed under his breath.</p>
<p>“This is Frost. I’ve found Edward at the crash site. He didn’t make it.”</p>
<p>There was brief silence amongst the team. Before anyone could respond, however, Joseph whipped around and raised his shotgun to eye level, aiming his beam into the surrounding brush. Joseph’s heart rate picked up, eyes narrowed as he slowly crept away from the campsite, his weapon raised as a twig snapped behind him. </p>
<p>Joseph turned on his heels, aiming his weapon toward the source of the sound. There was something out here, and whatever it was, it wasn’t backing off.</p>
<p>A large black shape leaped out from the bush with a snarl, Joseph squeezing the trigger of his shotgun in quick succession sending two shells punching through its body. Joseph felt liquid spray his face as the thing fell to the earth with a sickening crunch.</p>
<p>Joseph pointed his beam at the still form on the ground, his finger hovering above the trigger as the thing still twitched slightly as its blood leaked into the soil.</p>
<p>“What the actual fuck man…” </p>
<p> Joseph wanted to say that was a dog, or rather the former shell of a dog. It was clearly a Doberman, but there were massive patches of flesh missing, exposed bone shining in the moonlight. There was no way in hell that an animal with injuries this severe should still be kicking. Either way, there was no more time to think about this. More of the beasts came rushing out of the brush, dead eyes locked onto the man before them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Every member of STARS Joseph’s shouts just as the gunfire started. Jill and Chris ran at full speed towards the sounds of the shotgun blasts, Josephs shouts turning into shrieks of agony as the seconds passed. Jill arrived at the scene first, the sight before her turning her blood to ice.</p>
<p>Joseph’s body was completely enveloped in dogs, there mutilated bodies tearing into Joseph without mercy. Joseph’s body had been ripped to shreds, his vest in tatters as his innards were savagely ripped from his body, blood coating the surrounding monsters as they feasted. </p>
<p>Jill’s legs turned to jelly, her mouth agape as she watched the bones crunch and muscle fiber torn away as his left arm was ripped out of its socket and torn apart by the pack. The sounds of tearing flesh, the slurping of blood made Jill’s stomach churn, bile rising up her throat so fast that she quickly realized that there was no stopping it. She hunched over and vomited, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground as she sank to her knees. </p>
<p>One of the dogs turned towards her, a large chunk of Joseph’s face in its maw as it continued to chew, its milky white eyes fixed upon the officer as it began to quickly bound toward her. It leaped into the air only for a 9mm slug to punch through its skull and sending it crashing to the to earth in a wet heap. Jill turned to see Chris Redfield running towards her with an outstretched hand.</p>
<p>“Come on! We gotta go!”</p>
<p>He pulled the shocked officer to her feet as they both ran at full speed back towards the chopper where Brad was positioned. Chris fired another round over his shoulder as one of the dogs grew to close for comfort, the sudden high pitched yelp telling him that he hadn’t missed. As they ran towards Brad’s positioned, Chris’s heart fell into his gut as he heard the helicopter engine roar to life, the perpetual thwok thwok thwok of the propellors as the two officers saw their only ride rise into the air and fly back in the direction they came.</p>
<p>“Brad, what the hell? Brad come back!” Chris shouted as the two chased after him. </p>
<p>Chris turned just to see another dog leap into the air, dead eyes locked onto him. A sudden burst of automatic gunfire resounded throughout the forest as the beast was torn to shreds by a barrage of 5.56 rounds.</p>
<p>Isaac stood several feet away with Captain Wesker and Barry close by as smoke curled off the barrel of his assault rifle.</p>
<p>“Chris, this way!” He shouted over the unearthly barking of the ravenous pack.</p>
<p>The team ran through the woods, firing their weapons over their shoulder as the pack grew closer and closer. </p>
<p>“That mansion over there! We can take shelter there!” Wesker shouted as he put a slug through another dog’s head.</p>
<p>Isaac looked ahead and saw what the captain was talking about. A massive, grand mansion stood in the middle of a forest clearing, its large front windows full of bright golden light. Why a mansion was here in the middle of the woods, Isaac didn’t know. All he did know was that staying outside wasn’t option. </p>
<p>The team rushed to the front entrance and shoved open its two large double doors, Wesker and Isaac shutting them closed as the dogs through their weight against it but to no avail. Now sealed within the mansion, Jill, Barry, and Isaac nearly collapsed as they struggled to catch their breath. Meanwhile, something deep within the bowels of the mansion stirred.</p>
<p>This was only the beginning of their nightmare.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Enter the Survival Horror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They fled to the mansion believing they would be safe. They couldn't be more wrong.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“At this moment, we have no way of establishing contact with other RPD forces within the city. Bravo team’s bird went down, killing one officer while the whereabouts of the others are currently unknown. During our sweep of the forest, we lost another member to a pack of undead canines that forced us to take shelter within an odd mansion in the forest. I don’t know what to expect anymore, but the longer I remain within this mansion, the more danger I’ve come to realize that we’re in.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Isaac slung his rifle over his shoulder and drew his Samurai Edge, switching off the safety as he held it in a single hand. Wesker loaded a fresh magazine into his weapon, his expression relatively blank as his eyebrows remained furrowed together in apparent thought. Jill was hunched over trying to catch her breath, Barry rest a hand on her shoulder as he whispered words of encouragement to her. As the team remained silent, Isaac took in their new surroundings.</p>
<p>They were in a grand main hall with two sets of stairwells on their left and right side, an incredibly ornate chandelier hanging above them as it cast a bright golden light across the entire room. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the windows lighting up as lightning soon followed with a massive crack. It was at the moment that Isaac did a headcount.</p>
<p>Barry, Jill, Wesker, but where the hell was Chris?</p>
<p>“Captain Wesker,” he started. “We’ve been separated from Chris.” </p>
<p>He hated to say it out loud, but someone was going to have to say the obvious. Jill’s eyes widened, immediately starting for the door before the captain grabbed her by the shoulder.</p>
<p>“Jill, don’t. Those things overwhelmed Joseph in seconds and outnumber us. Going out there right now would be suicide.”</p>
<p>Jill stepped back with a sigh. </p>
<p>“Maybe he found another way in. With a house as big as this, there’s bound to be multiple ways in or out.”</p>
<p>“Bravo team’s chopper went down relatively close by. There’s a good chance that we may find the rest of them here. Still, why is this place here?” Barry began.</p>
<p>“Who builds a mansion in the middle of the woods? And it’s not like this place could be abandoned. This main hall is spotless, and there’s clearly electricity. We—”</p>
<p>Somewhere within the house came a muffled yet audible pop. <br/>“That was a gunshot, no doubt about it,” Jill said. </p>
<p>Wesker pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose as he tightened his grip on his Samurai Edge. </p>
<p>“We need to fan out a begin our investigation. I’ll investigate the main hall. Jill and Barry, you both can examine what’s beyond those doors on the western side.  Isaac, you take the east side and investigate that area. I’ll secure the main hall. Understood?”</p>
<p>The team nodded and each set off on their paths. </p>
<p>Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Isaac could have sworn that he’d seen the smallest hint of a grin on the captain’s face.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>It was a hall that overlooked the front of the mansion, large picture windows displaying the pitch-black world outside as rain slapped against the glass. The floors were comprised of a black and white tile that were so clean that Isaac could see his reflection in it. </p>
<p>Something was wrong here, something incredibly wrong. He made his way through the silent corridor, keeping his weapon in his hands as thunder continued to rumble beyond the mansion walls. Grabbing the gold knob of the mahogany door in front of him, he entered a hall with a hardwood floor and was dimly lit. On his left was a railing that overlooked a small stairwell that led to the first floor. </p>
<p>At that moment, the young officer became aware of a pungent odor that had filled the entirety of the hall. It reminded Isaac of three-day old road kill baking in the sun. It was something far worse than food rotting in a dumpster, but it was rot nonetheless. As he turned a corner, he found the source of the powerful smell.</p>
<p>A man with filthy matted brown hair in a faded blazer and slacks stood several feet away, his back turned to Isaac as he stood in place, twitching every few seconds. His breathing was ragged, labored, as if there was something trapped in his throat.</p>
<p>Isaac raised his Samurai Edge and made sure that he had a round chambered.</p>
<p>“Identify yourself!”</p>
<p>The man turned his head, simultaneously making Isaac’s eyes widen as he stood face to face with something that was clearly inhuman. His eyes were milky white and sunken in, his face covered in deep lacerations that exposed his cheekbones and lower jaw. His once white shirt was stained with blood and other bodily fluids, strands of his own intestines dragging along the floor as he raised his arms and released an unearthly moan, a dry rasping sound that came from the void within his chest. Blackened lips peeled away from slimy foul-smelling incisors as it awkwardly shuffled towards him. </p>
<p>Isaac fired a single round into its shoulder, the man flinching as the slug sen forth a small mist of blood into the air upon impact. Ignoring the wound, it continued to approach without providing any reaction. He fired another round into its heart, and it had no effect.</p>
<p>“What the hell is wrong with you?”</p>
<p>He fired three rounds into its skull, this time the slugs punched through its head and painted the Wal behind him with dark red arterial fluid and brain matter, the body crashing to the ground as a pool of blood pumped out its skull and pooled on the floor.</p>
<p>‘What the hell was up with that guy? No ordinary human could shrug off getting shot like that. Is this the work of some new drug? And those wounds were lethal too. What the hell happened to him?’</p>
<p>Isaac froze as he heard more moans coming from downstairs. Peering over the railing, he saw another man shuffling towards the stairs, his dead-eyed gaze fixed on the space in front of him as he slowly stumbled around, trying to find the source of the noise. <br/>Aiming his Samurai Edge over the railing, he fired a round into the side of the odd man’s head, sending him crashing down the stairs and knocking over a nearby potted plant in the process. Isaac held down the button on his radio as he urgently broadcasted his message to his colleagues.</p>
<p>“This is Holiday. I’ve encountered two hostiles in the eastern side and had to eliminate them. There’s something wrong with them, almost like they’re on some sort of drug. Restraining them is not an option. I repeat, restraining them is not an option, over.”</p>
<p>No response; the others must have been caught up in troubles of their own. Checking his magazine and gathering his wits, Isaac pressed forward, heading deeper into the harrowing mansion. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Many of the doors within the estate were locked, surprisingly. Given that the front doors were pretty much wide open the team had arrived, he didn’t believe that the place would have such need for locking early every door within the place. Still, it was clear that the mansion was incredibly dangerous. Isaac encountered more hostile people, and he was convinced that they were, in fact, dead. There was no way in hell that these people could walk around with large chunks of their bodies gone, their organs missing or exposed, and take bullets and just shrug them off like they were nothing. Furthermore, they made Isaac shiver every time he saw one. They would lurk in the dark areas of the halls, the only indication of their presence being the uneven footsteps and death rattle moans they constantly emitted. </p>
<p>Luckily for him, he did carry a lock pick with him in one of his pockets. He was nowhere near as good as Jill, but he could work out how to get these doors open if he took his time. Meanwhile, the best word to describe the mansion was: dead.</p>
<p>It was silent as a tomb, with the only sounds being the occasional moans of the walking dead and the muffled gunshot that would come from a seemingly random direction. It was somewhat comforting to hear the gunshots, as it at least told him that his comrades were alive and fighting. </p>
<p>As he crept his way through the mansion, he spotted a rusty metal door with a small glass window embedded into it. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that it led to an outdoor balcony. Using his lock pick and unlocking the door, he discovered that he was correct. He found himself standing on a wrought iron platform that overlooked the forest. The balcony wrapped around the side of the mansion, Isaac spotting a door at the end of the balcony as well as a wider stairwell that led down to a space with a few benches and even a small fountain that still spouted water. On any other day, this would be a lovely place to relax and read. However, the storm whipped at Isaac’s face as he made his way through, the rain cold as ice against his skin. He made his way through and quickly passed through the door at its end, grateful to be out of the rain yet still hating the fact that he found himself in another dimly lit hallway. </p>
<p>The mansion was a labyrinth of claustrophobic halls where not all light was equal. Some spaces were well lit, some were rather dim, while some areas were pitch black. It was specifically these halls with their lack of lighting that terrified the young officer. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, but he knew he was afraid of what lurked in the dark.</p>
<p>There was a clear difference.</p>
<p>He flicked on his flashlight as he entered the dark hallway, fixing the beam onto the hardwood floor below, spotting a trail of blood leading from a pool in which he stood to a door on his right. There was no telling who it could belong to, or whether or not whoever was injured was still alive or not. Still, it could be a member of Bravo team, and he’d never forgive himself for chickening out now, of all moments. </p>
<p>He turned the knob and entered.</p>
<p>Isaac found himself within a dimly lit study; on either side of him were large bookshelves that mainly held books on philosophy, chemistry and…necromancy? His flashlight beam hovered along some of the titles, spotting a number of books on plant life and virology as well. At the far left end of the room was a large desk with scattered documents laying atop its wooden surface and a single desk lamp that was never turned off. As he stepped further into the room, he saw an unlit fireplace embedded within the far wall while a Persian rug with multicolor patterns rested on the floor nearby. On his knees in a prayer-like position, was a man hovering above the body another man. He made wet, garbled slurping noises as he held his head close to the body on the floor. </p>
<p>Raising his Samurai Edge to eye level. The sitting man must have heard his footsteps, because he slowly turned around, revealing a milky white-eyed gaze as he held a large chunk of flesh in his mouth, his entire front drenched in dark red arterial blood as he held strands of innards in his blood-soaked hands.</p>
<p>Isaac sent a 9mm slug punching through its left and eye into the floor, bloody mist erupting from its head as it fell backward atop of the corpse it was feasting upon.</p>
<p>Hands gripping his gun so tightly his palms turned white, Isaac began to search the room for clues.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Twice Dead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Casualties rise, and an odd team pulls the strings.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jill couldn’t help but feel as though she was being watched as she stepped out onto the dimly lit balcony, brisk summer wind sending goosebumps spreading across her flesh as the wind kissed her skin. The rain had slowed to light drizzle, but the officer could still hear thunder rumbling in the distance. With her Samurai Edge in hand, she continued to carefully walk through the balcony, past pots of plants with neat white labels displaying the names: Arklay Red Herb, Arklay Green Herb.</p><p>Then she saw the body,</p><p>She recognized the grey military camo pants and the jet black hair immediately.  He was sitting on the floor with his back against the cold metal railing, large bits of flesh stripped away from his body as if he’d been fed upon by smaller animals. One of his eyes was missing, and at his feet with a bloodstained handle was his grenade launcher.</p><p>Kneeling beside him was Barry, who appeared to be examining the body.</p><p>Hearing her footsteps and glancing over his shoulder, he turned back to Forest and shook his head.</p><p>“Well, I found Forest, only it seems that I was too late.” </p><p>Jill set a hand on his shoulder, shoulders heavy with grief. They’d lost Edward, Joseph, and now Forest. Chris was missing, and they still hadn’t found any living members of Bravo team.<br/>
All while trapped in a mansion infested with and surrounded by monsters. Being the lead role in a horror film wasn’t in Jill’s job description, and she was all but ready to wake up from this nightmare. </p><p>Barry reached for Forest’s dropped weapon and held it out to Jill. </p><p>“There’s danger in every corner, Jill. You’ll need this, seeing as though Forest won’t be needing it.”</p><p>Nodding solemnly, Jill took the grenade launcher and slung it over her shoulder. She wanted to say something in honor of Forest, but that’s when things began to go wrong alarmingly fast.<br/>
Forest’s corpse twitched before rising to its feet, releasing a hollow, garbled moan as he suddenly lunged himself at Barry. The large man cried out in surprise as the undead monster that used to be Forest tackled him to the cold, wet metal of the balcony, Barry’s magnum revolver skidding away from him as he pulled it from its holster.</p><p>“Shit!”</p><p>Despite the fact that this creature wore the mutilated visage of her comrade, she raised her Samurai Edge and fired a single round, the 9mm slug punching through Forest’s skull and blowing off a piece of his scalp before erupting from the back of his head, brain matter and dark arterial blood flying into the night air as Forest collapsed atop Barry. </p><p>Barry moved the body off of himself and rose to his feet, picking up his revolver as he struggled to catch his breath. </p><p>“Thanks for the save.”</p><p>“There’s no telling what else is out there. We should head back in, even though this house doesn’t seem to have any shortage in monsters to face.”</p><p>***</p><p>He sat patiently in front of the bright screen of the computer monitor, a smile on his face as he watched some of the RPD’s finest navigate the estate. He couldn’t help but wince as he replayed the footage of the team running from the Cerberus pack that had chased them into the mansion. They were all good candidates. The newest member would be a difficult one to kill, due to his tendency to perform well under pressure. Valentine would need to step her game up if she wished to see the light of tomorrow, as witnessing the death of her comrade had placed her into a kind of shock, it would seem. The other members seemed to have a confident   head on their shoulders, despite their circumstances. </p><p>Everything was going according to plan: the jammers had been successfully activated, and everyone was in their proper place.</p><p>The long-range communication device on his desk began to beep, its LED light flashing rapidly as his contact reached out to him once again.<br/>
He picked up the device and held down the ridged black button, barely containing his satisfied grin.</p><p>“You called?” </p><p>“Everything is in place. Begin the next phase immediately. It’s time to put their survival skills to the test.”</p><p>The made set down his communicator and began typing into the computer terminal. </p><p>Things were about to get interesting.</p><p>***</p><p>The mansion’s third floor was much different in tone in contrast to the first and second floors. Firstly, it was far more decrepit than any other place in the mansion he’d seen so far. The hall Isaac currently found himself in a hall in which every visible surface was covered in the thickest cobwebs he’d ever seen. They were coated in a heavy layer of dust and held he remains of dead insects. There was a door on his right that looked as though it had been slowly eaten away by insects, its bronze ornate handle also covered in cobwebs. </p><p>Thankful for the gloves he wore, he tightened his grip on his pistol and opened the door, finding himself within what appeared to be a ransacked tavern. </p><p>It was a large space with a bar area with overturned stools scattered across the room. Bottles of wine and other drinks were either shattered on the ground, their contents lying in pools, or were newly stacked on the shelves behind the bar’s counter. In the center of the tavern was a grand piano unlike any he’d ever seen. It was covered in a light layer of dust, but that alone couldn’t hinder the instrument’s beauty. </p><p>As he did a sweep of the room, Isaac became aware of reoccurring sound. Listening carefully, he could hear the faint yet audible sound of someone or something scratching at a wall. Isaac made his way behind the bar’s counter and put his ear against one of the empty shelves there. The scratching was coming from right behind it. </p><p>Looking down at the floor, he noticed a series of deep scratch marks that led several feet away from the shelf, indicating that the shelf had been moved a number of times. Pressing his weight against the shelf, he pushes, the wooden cabinet dragging along the floor as it moved with relative ease. Isaac continued to push until he could clearly see the shaking door that was hidden behind it.</p><p>At the sound of movement on the other side, the thing slamming itself against the door increased its force, the door making a large crunching sound within its door frame. Isaac leaped over the bar counter and drew his rifle, slipping the pistol back into his holster. The pounding grew more, and more, and more until it finally burst off its hinges.</p><p>Isaac took one look at his attackers and his eyes widened, his mind going on autopilot as he squeezed down the trigger and fired a barrage of 5.56 rounds at the humanoid monsters that ran towards him. </p><p>They weren’t like the others he had faced. These things ran at incredible speed, their skin the color of blood that made the milky whites of their eyes truly pop. Their fingertips had elongated into razor-sharp claws, and their voices (oh god their voices) were far deeper than that of the other hostiles he’d encountered. Six of them rushed him, his bullet-storm punching through their heads, shoulders, and chests, spraying dark arterial blood and brain matter across the bar. One of them managed to hop over the counter just as his gun clicked empty.</p><p>“Shit!”</p><p>He went into a roll just as it swiped at him with its claws, Isaac pulling out his STI Eagle and firing four .45 rounds into its skull, effectively blowing away the top half of its skull as the creature fell backward onto the tiled floor with a sickening thump.</p><p>Isaac’s skin crawled just from looking at the thing. Even worse, a foul odor was coming from the door they had come from. It also didn’t help that the room was pitch black, the lack of light making him want to explore this new area even less. Regardless, Isaac reloaded his weapons, flicked on his flashlight, and ventured into the darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Conspiracy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The conspiracy slowly unravels.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His skin was a pallid and translucent, the blood vessels beneath his flesh the darkest shade of black that Jill Valentine had ever seen. His back was to her, the monster sitting on his knees as he stood hunched over the body of an all-too-familiar dark-skinned man in a green combat vest and dark grey cargo pants. Shell casings littered the floor, the monster’s body full of dark bleeding holes that smelled faintly of gunpowder. He buried his face into the corpse’s neck, pulling away with a gushing mouthful of flesh, the few strands of muscle fiber holding his head onto his body snapping as the head fell to the ground, the stump of his neck pumping its crimson contents onto the floor as the head rolled a few inches away from the horrific scene, revealing the agonized and lifeless gaze of Kenneth J. Sullivan.</p>
<p>Jill whistled to get the thing’s attention, watching with widened eyes as the thing feasting on her friend slowly cocked its head toward her, rising slowly to its feet as it released a hollow, garbled moan and stumbled toward her in a seemingly drunken gait.</p>
<p>She raised her Samurai Edge to eye level and fired three slugs into its head, nailing the monster right between its eyes before planting a strong kick into its solar plexus, sending it careening back into the wall where it slid to the floor, unmoving. </p>
<p>Jill took a deep breath before looking down at the mutilated, lifeless corpse of her comrade, eyes dry, and her heart heavy as she stood there in brief silence.</p>
<p>“I’m so sorry Kenneth.”</p>
<p>At the other end of the hall, a set of metal double doors suddenly burst open with an ear-shattering bang! The sound making Jill jump out of her skin as she turned on her heels to point her pistol at a group of eight zombies that had suddenly found themselves in the hall. More of them were starting to pile out from the doors, and there were far too many for her to handle on her own. The grenade launcher was a solid option, but she couldn’t risk blowing through the ammunition she currently had for it. </p>
<p>Turning in the opposite direction, Jill ran up the opposite end of the hall as the shuffling creatures slowly made their way toward her. </p>
<p>***<br/>As she found herself on the third floor, Jill heard the crack of automatic gunfire come from somewhere in the distance. She couldn’t help but sigh in slight relief. Even if it was the sounds of fighting, at least it meant that another one of her comrades was alive. In the meantime, she passed through a door on her immediate right only to see a body slam into a nearby wall and crash into the ground. She thought it was another one of those monsters like the ones that killed Kenneth, but then she saw the familiar green camp pants and the orange t-shirt, although it was spattered with blood. </p>
<p>“Richard!”</p>
<p>Jill ran to Richard Aiken’s side as he writhed in agony on the floor. Something had really torn into the young officer; his arms, neck, and upper torso were covered in deep lacerations that left large portions of his flesh exposed the elements. However, the worst injuries were the ones on his shoulders where she could clearly see the large gaping puncture wounds that steadily oozed blood and other viscous fluids. </p>
<p>“J-Jill? Is that really you?” He croaked as he continued to writhe.</p>
<p>“I’m here, Richard? What did this to you?”</p>
<p>Richard pointed a shaking hand at the door that he’d just come from. From beyond the door, Jill could hear something, something massive, sliding along the ground, knocking over objects and destroying some.</p>
<p>“S-snake. A huge f-freaking snake. I didn’t even hear it until it was right on top of me. Put a knife into its eyes and it let me go. Still, it messed me up pretty good.”</p>
<p>Richard coughed up an alarming amount of blood.</p>
<p>“It was venomous, Jill. I need serum…”</p>
<p>Jill remembered that she had found a small infirmary room on the mansion’s western side. She was currently in the eastern section. If she could carry Richard there fast enough, she’d be able to treat him using the meds there. And she knew for a fact that she had seen several files of serum there that would definitely cure Richard.</p>
<p>Jill took the assault shotgun that Richard had slung over his damaged shoulder and slung over her own. The combined weight of both her grenade launcher and the shotgun would make this task more difficult, but Jill put that weight in the back of her mind. She carefully hoisted Richard to his feet and draped his arm around her shoulders.</p>
<p>Gritting her teeth, the two began their trek to the infirmary as fast her legs would allow.</p>
<p>***<br/>It was difficult for Isaac to resist the urge to vomit when he entered the dark room before him. The odor of dried blood and gore was heavy in the air, flies swarming the numerous corpses that littered the ground around him. The wood-paneled floor was completely covered in dried blood, bits and pieces of bone, and pieces of human organs lay scattered across the ground, absolutely covered in maggots.</p>
<p>“Jesus fucking christ, man,” Isaac said as he cupped a hand over his nose in a feeble attempt at blocking out the scent. </p>
<p>Along the walls were shelves containing spare drinks and other related paraphernalia. In the center of the room was a table where a few chairs were still pushed in. Apparently whoever lives here would use this storage room as a personal relaxation room away from other guests. However, on that table was a note with a pen next to it.</p>
<p>Isaac trained his beam of light onto the note and picked it up, despite there being droplets of blood staining the paper, the handwriting was neat and legible.</p>
<p>‘To whom it may concern: I and a few others decided to turn the hidden room behind the bar into a safe space while we wait for help. Now more than ever, I regret ever being a part of this project. There are certain forces of nature that were never meant to be tampered with, and they’ve gone too far this time. A virus escaped from the lab and managed to spread via the air ducts that run throughout the rest of the mansion. An effort was made to isolate the infected from those that were still healthy, but the incubation period is just bizarre. Some people showed symptoms immediately while others took several hours. Either way, when the infected became feral, all hell broke loose. We boarded ourselves up in this room and waited things out. Only, some of us weren’t very honest about being exposed to infection, it would seem. I’ve seen the way George has been shaking, and I can clearly see that he’s running a fever. I don’t think I’m gonna make it through this, trapped in this room with a few ticking time bombs. To whoever finds this, please just know this: Umbrella has gone too far.</p>
<p>“Umbrella? What the hell?”</p>
<p>What did Umbrella Pharmaceuticals have to do with this? As far as Isaac was aware, people praised Umbrella to no end about their breakthroughs in medicine and technology. Why would they be to blame for what’s been going on in this place?</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Jill burst into the infirmary with her pistol raised only to be greeted by a young woman with short-cropped auburn hair with a Samurai Edge pointed at her. She’d clearly caught the STARS medic off guard by her sudden appearance, but the moment the two women locked eyes with each other, each one could read one another based solely on body language. Rebecca was covered in a combination of dirt and sweat, and she had droplets of blood—not her own—spattered across her tactical vest. Jill, on the other hand, had eyes that burned with extreme trauma, whilst Rebecca’s eyes were ripe with a combination of fear and paranoia,</p>
<p>“Rebecca, Richard was attacked by a giant snake. Can you—”</p>
<p>“Set him down on the cot over here. I’ll treat his wounds.”</p>
<p>Within moments they had Richard sprawled on a white cot, Rebecca filling a syringe from her med-pack with serum and injecting it into his arm. After this, Rebecca saw to disinfecting the numerous wounds that were scattered across Richard’s body, Jill doing her best to aid the young medic as she stitched together each and every open wound. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the man in question was unconscious. His breathing had stabilized and his bleeding had finally slowed. When the final wound was stitched together, Rebecca saw to wrapping his larger wounds in gauze in an attempt to prevent them from getting infected. </p>
<p>With their work done and Richard resting, the two women collapsed onto the floor, each of them physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. As much as Jill didn’t want to admit, she knew that this was going to be the longest night of her life. </p>
<p>***Meanwhile, in Raccoon City, Lydia Richard stood upon the roof of a building two city blocks away from the Raccoon City Police Station. She’d kept tabs on the STARS helicopters that had taken off, and it was crystal clear that something was wrong. See, while Lydia did have her connections, she was quite tech-savvy herself. She’d managed to tap into their communications and was able to listen in on all of their conversations. She knew that they had lost contact with Bravo team and Alpha was heading in as their reinforcements. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, she’d also managed to tap into the police chief’s emails and good lord was there some juicy stuff to be found in there. Firstly, she was correct in her assumption about the mysterious W.B. William Birkin was definitely a man of interest, and Lydia had every intention of finding him. However, the man was very elusive, being that he just loved to hide in the shadows and use others to do his dirty work. </p>
<p>The PDA she carried on her belt began to beep and she picked it up, smiling as she saw the large bodies of text that her contact had sent her. </p>
<p>‘Definitely something fucked up going on in the city. Umbrella has been developing some kind of weapon known as the T-Virus. After hearing some rather scandalous stories from some of Umbrella’s researchers, I can confirm that the reason behind the murders is the result of escaped subjects infected with the T-Virus. I’m not sure where they came from, but I suspect that the source of the infection is exactly where they’re sending those STARS officers. The murders happened on the outskirts of the city and in the woods too. That has to be the source of the infection. I’m still working on it, but Umbrella’s got other things cooking up too. Something called the G-Virus. I’ll be in contact soon, but be careful. These people are paranoid and I’d hate to see what they’ll do to us if we get caught.’ —Ben.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Unearthing the Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The team faces a new threat in the form of one of their own.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beneath the mansion, a number of things began to stir. Glass capsules containing reptilian creatures began to blare an ear-shattering alarm as red emergency lights began to flash on and off. The fluid drained from the containers, lowering the creatures down until they were on their own to feet. Slitted eyes opened, and forked tongues snaked out from between moist lips, tracing over rows of razor-sharp teeth. With their claws and their inhuman strength, they shatter their barriers and leap off of their elevated platforms. They sniff the air, and something within them changes. They release an otherworldly shriek as they began their hunt.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Unbeknownst to most members of the surviving STARS members, there were a series of underground tunnels beneath the mansion. Isaac found himself within the mansion’s courtyard, heaving a sigh of relief as he stepped into the outside world for the first time in hours. The rain had since stopped, leaving behind an ominous mist that covered much of the surrounding area. With his pistol in his hand and his flashlight in the other, he slowly walked through the courtyard until he nearly tripped over a stone object jutting out from the ground. He fixed the beam of light onto the object and raised an eyebrow; it was a tombstone. In fact, he was completely surrounded by tombstones of varying conditions. Some were relatively clean and appeared new, while others were ancient, the names completely illegible. </p>
<p>As he made his way through the graveyard, he found a large memorial statue in the appearance of a weeping angel. It was quite unsettling, as the angel appeared severely thin and malnourished, its eyes leaking actual water.</p>
<p>“Great, that’s another thing that’s gonna haunt me for a while.”</p>
<p>Beneath the statue was an open space: a hole. Jutting out from the edge of the hole was the top of a ladder leading down into the unknown. Isaac stood at the edge training his beam down below, barely able to spot the muddy ground beneath where the ladder ended. </p>
<p>“Crawling down into a dark in a place filled with dead things that wanna take a bite outta anything that lives. We better get a fucking raise for this shit.”</p>
<p>With that, Isaac tucked his pistol into his holster and climbed down the ladder, boots sinking ankle-deep into mud with an audible squelch as he reached the bottom. Flashlight raised, he walked through the tunnel, heart beating rapidly as he made his way towards a faint light that lay ahead at a turn.</p>
<p>Above him was an oil lantern burning brightly within the darkness, hanging from a chain that reflected the light. At this turn, Isaac found that there were numerous lanterns lighting the way as well, almost like a trail. Feeling more and more like he was walking into a trap, he pressed on.</p>
<p>“Who’s there?” A voice called out from up ahead. “Identify yourself or I will open fire!”</p>
<p>“STARS Alpha team member Isaac Holiday! Captain Marini, is that you?”</p>
<p>Isaac heard the faint click of a weapon and a grunt.</p>
<p>“Rookie, is that really you? Thank god.”</p>
<p>Isaac made his way into the dimly lit space to find Bravo team leader Enrico sitting with his back to the wall. His face was covered in a heavy layer of sweat as he held a hand to an injury to his right leg. As he got closer, Isaac realized that Enrico’s leg had been split open, blood having soaked through his pant-sleeve. </p>
<p>“What the hell happened to you?” Isaac said as he kneeled beside the injured man. </p>
<p>“Getting you outta here ain’t gonna be easy, but I’ll try my best Captain.”</p>
<p>Enrico winced, holding up a bloodied hand to silence the younger officer.</p>
<p>“Listen to me, Isaac, because I don’t know what’s going to happen next. This entire mission is pointless. We’ve all been set up. Someone within STARS is a traitor!”</p>
<p>“A traitor? How? Enrico, what the hell is—”</p>
<p>“This is all Umbrella’s doing. The murders, sending us out here, the monsters in the woods and in the mansion, everything. We can’t come back from this, not ever. STARS is finished!”<br/>At that moment, Isaac heard a deafening yet familiar pop and found his face spattered with blood. Isaac sputtered, spitting onto the ground as some of it had managed to get into his mouth. </p>
<p>Isaac rose to his feet immediately, raising his Samurai Edge and squeezing off four rounds in the direction that gunshot came from.</p>
<p>Wiping the blood from his face, he turned around only for his heart to sink.</p>
<p>“Captain!”</p>
<p>A bullet had torn through the Bravo team’s leader’s skull, blowing off the left quarter of his head and splattering his brain matter against the wall behind him. His body was now sitting in an upright position, his glassy eyes staring into the lantern light above as his hands fell to the ground, no longer needing to hold pressure to his leg wound.</p>
<p>“Goddammit!”</p>
<p>Isaac ran in the direction that the bullet had come from until he found himself back at the ladder. He fixed his beam onto the ground below, finding a set of bootprints that were similar to his own. Sucking in a breath, the young officer knew that the Bravo team leader had been right, as much as he hated to admit it.</p>
<p>Someone among them was a traitor, and as long as they walked free, everyone else around them was in danger.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Jill froze the moment she stepped into the expansive library, the sounds of creaking floorboards raising every hair on the back of her neck. She could hear the steady slap of something wet against the hardwood flooring, heavy, raspy breathing causing Jill to stow her Samurai Edge into its holster and draw her grenade launcher, acid rounds loaded into its cylinder. She slowly made a turn around one towering bookshelf to see another monstrosity unlike any she’d seen thus far. </p>
<p>It was reptilian in appearance, its body covered in dark greenish-brown scales with an angular head holding two large slitted yellow eyes. At the end of its large muscular arms were razor-sharp claws similar to the talons on its feet. Jill and the creature locked eyes with one another, and Jill fired a single acid round point plank into its chest. The round exploded on impact, the creature releasing a shrill cry as the force of the blast sends it flying into the shelf behind it, the acid eating away at its flesh as the shelf collapsed on top of it. The launcher’s cylinder rotated, the next shell in the chamber as Jill kept her weapon raised, just as the creature erupted from the wreckage, its muscle tissues exposed and steaming as steaming blood dripped onto the floor. Jill pulled the trigger once more just as it lunged at her, only to have another round fired into its body. When the creature finally fell, it didn’t raise again.</p>
<p>Stepping over the corpse, she traveled deeper into the library where she found a steel hatch leading downward into a dimly lit underground space.</p>
<p>“What the hell?”</p>
<p>Jill took out her flashlight and aimed it down the hatch, finding the ladder that led down into the dark space. From where she stood, it looked like a maintenance tunnel of some kind. But why was it here in the library of all places. </p>
<p>“To anyone who can hear this, this is Holiday!” A familiar voice crackled over Jill’s radio. “Is there anyone who can hear me? Come in! I have an urgent message!”</p>
<p>Isaac’s voice came in and out, and there was no way to know for sure if she’d even be able to get through to him, but Jill held down the button on the radio,</p>
<p>“This is Valentine! What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“Captain Marini has been murdered! I repeat, Captain Marini has been murdered by another member of STARS! Someone among is a traitor! I repeat, someone among us is a traitor!”</p>
<p>The radio became nothing more than static after that, sweat running down Jill’s face as she processed what she had just heard. There was no way that someone on their team, or on Bravo for that matter, could be a traitor. She’d known these people for years and trusted them with there life. Barry had a family to care for, and it wasn’t in his nature to be the betraying type. Richard was knocked out in the infirmary, but he didn’t fit the bill either. The same could be said for Rebecca and Chris. However, when it came down to it, Jill realized that she didn’t know all that much about Wesker and Isaac either. While Wesker was their captain, and he could be harass at times, did it really mean that he could be a traitor? And Isaac seldom spoke of his past. Was it possible for it to actually be him?</p>
<p>Jill shook her head in disbelief until she heard gunshots coming from somewhere close. Taking one last glance at the hatch, she ran toward the library exit, the grenade launcher tight in her hands as she gritted her teeth in frustration.</p>
<p>She needed answers, and she needed them now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Truth Revealed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Get the hell out the way!”</p>
<p>Isaac squeezed down the trigger of his assault rifle as the Hunter lunged at him, the rounds punching through its scaly form and spraying its blood against the drab wallpaper behind it. Another Hunter approached him from behind and leaped toward him, Isaac going into a roll as the monster sales over him with its claws rending space where he’d just been standing.</p>
<p>“Where the hell did you guys even come from?” He said after popping open one of their head with a lucky shot before running past their twitching corpses. He vaguely remembered finding an infirmary room somewhere around here.</p>
<p>Spotting a familiar heavy-set green door, Isaac wrapped his hand around the handle and wrenched the door open—only to walk into the barrel of a Samurai Edge that was pointed straight into his face.</p>
<p>He went cross-eyed at first, completely freezing before he cast his gaze from the weapon’s barrel to the young woman who held it.</p>
<p>“Isaac! You’re alive!” </p>
<p>Rebecca Chambers grabbed the officer—with a strength he had no idea she possessed—and practically dragged him into the infirmary, shutting the door behind them firmly before squeezing him the most vice-grip like hugs he’d received in years.</p>
<p>“I heard that almost everyone was dead, and I hadn’t heard from you all night. I was starting to think the worst had happened when you suddenly just came running in here and then—”</p>
<p>She stopped to breathe, all of her words just spilling out without any kind of pacing. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but all he could produce was a tired half-smile. </p>
<p>“I’m still in one piece so far. It’s just that things have gotten hectic around here. Super hectic, I might add.”</p>
<p>“Those green lizard things? Yeah, I know what you mean.”</p>
<p>“They’re nasty little bastards too, and it doesn’t help that I’m running low on ammo for the one weapon that puts them down quickly,” Isaac said as he ejected the empty magazine from his rifle and inserted a fresh one. </p>
<p>“Hold on, is that Richard?” Isaac said as he walked past the medic and over toward the unconscious man laying on the cot. </p>
<p>“What attacked him?”</p>
<p>Rebecca sighed. </p>
<p>“Really big snake.”</p>
<p>“Given what I’ve seen since coming here, I can believe it.”</p>
<p>“Just stay out of the mansion’s attic. That’s where he encountered it.”</p>
<p>“Noted.”</p>
<p>The two of them fell silent for a moment, each of them wearing the same tired expression.</p>
<p>“We’re gonna make it out of here, right?” She asked, her voice wavering.</p>
<p>“We have to, and I believe that we will. Even though we’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere, the entire RPD should know that we’re on this mission. They can’t just forget about us.”</p>
<p>Isaac glanced up and saw a decently sized bandage covering her left cheek. Given the red stain that had manifested on the bandage’s exterior, it was pretty deep.</p>
<p>“What happened to your face?”</p>
<p>He couldn’t help but take a step close and place a hand beneath her chin, his other hadn’t on her shoulder as he tried to get a closer look. It was a mannerism he’d picked up from his mom when he’d seen her tend to anyone who was hurt. A simple gentle touch was enough to lower your guard and allow a person to help you.</p>
<p>Rebecca’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson at the feeling of his hands upon her. Her mind froze for a brief moment before she finally snapped out of her brief reverie.</p>
<p>“It happened when the helicopter went down. It was insane, Isaac. The engine just suddenly started smoking and caught fire and the next thing I know we’re spinning in mid-air while Edward was trying to stabilize us. Said if we crashed the wrong way we’d all die. In the end, we all made it out, but Edward didn’t make it.”</p>
<p>Isaac sighed.</p>
<p>“We lost Joseph as soon as we landed.  None of us saw it coming, and there was nothing we could do to save him. Also, I was able to find Enrico earlier, but he was assassinated right in front of me.”</p>
<p>Rebecca sat down in a nearby chair, her head in her hands as he delivered the news.</p>
<p>“He…he didn’t deserve that. Why did so many good people have to die tonight? We came here expecting to capture murderers, and all we found was something much worse.”</p>
<p>Isaac pulled up another chair that was sitting against the medicine shelf and down in front of her. </p>
<p>“There were so many people that we couldn’t save tonight. I heard from Jill that Forest is dead too…and no one knows where Barry or Captain Wesker is. With things the way they are, how much longer are we going to last here? You said you believe we’re gonna get out of here, but we need to be logical about this! How do any of us know if we’re ever going to see home again? What if this is it? What if—”</p>
<p>“You’re panicking. Please, just take a deep breath, okay?”</p>
<p>As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Rebecca noticed for the first time that night that she had been shaking. She held her hands out before her, and sure enough, they trembled. It wasn’t until she had finished treating Richard and saw Jill leave to continue her investigation that she truly felt the pressure they were all enduring. It wasn’t until she was alone in a room with her injured comrade that she realized that she was terrified. </p>
<p>“I’m scared too,” Isaac said as he remained stoic. “I try my hardest not to show it, but this is something I’ve never encountered before, something I never thought I would ever encounter. Dead people walking, dead dogs eating people, giant lizard monsters around every corner, this is something out of a horror movie.”</p>
<p>Rebecca couldn’t help but giggle.</p>
<p>“Hard to believe that it wasn’t too long ago we were watching horror flicks at your place, not a care in the world.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t say care in the world. I mean, I still have rent to pay, and my neighbor has that really loud dog and don’t get me started on that lady with the four cats.”</p>
<p>The two of them shared a tired laugh, but felt some of that pressure on their shoulders lift, even if it was just a little bit. </p>
<p>“As I said before, we have to make it back. Especially after hearing what Enrico told me. He said that this entire mission was a setup.”</p>
<p>Rebecca’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>“What? W-wait. What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I don’t completely know. He told me that someone in STARS is a traitor and that the Umbrella Corporation was responsible for everything that’s happened here. It was right after he told me this that he'd been shot. I might not have known him that well, but as far as I’m concerned, he was one of us. I don’t think he’d have made something like that up. Plus, I found a note written by one of the dead residents who stayed here. It mentioned that Umbrella had gone too far and that they were responsible for all of the deaths here, namely the monsters that are roaming around here.”</p>
<p>Rebecca folded her arms across her chest.</p>
<p>“Based on what I’ve gathered so far, there was an outbreak of some kind of disease here, based on some of the journal entries I read while I was exploring this place. Some kind of virus infected all of the inhabitants and turned them into those…things.”</p>
<p>“So, if there’s been a virus outbreak here, then that means we’ve all been exposed to the infected. We’ve killed lots of these things, some of them touched me but didn’t actually get the chance to hurt me. How do we know that we aren’t infected? How do we know that we’re not carrying it?”</p>
<p>Rebecca shrugged.</p>
<p>“None of us have been showing symptoms of anything strange,  but based on what I’ve learned so far from these journal entries as well as my own observations of the infected roaming around here, I’ve been able to put some things together. The infected were all either partially eaten or just had bite marks on them. These things likely spread the infection through their saliva by biting into their victims. If a victim is killed by one, they come back as one of the infected and will behave in the same manner. If you’ve been bitten but manage to escape, you’ll likely succumb to the infection and join their ranks. The possibility for this thing to spread through blood-on-blood contact could be another possible method of spreading the virus as well. We should at least try to keep any open wounds we may have closed.”</p>
<p>Isaac cast a nervous glance over to Richard.</p>
<p>“I already checked him for bites. All of his injuries came from that snake. After I gave him serum and treated his other injuries, he’s stabilized. He hasn’t developed any symptoms of any kind.”</p>
<p>Isaac sighed.</p>
<p>“Well, that’s good at least. I’ve searched most areas of the mansion, but I never checked the basement or finished searching the graveyard. I found this series of underground tunnels there, and that’s where Enrico was killed. Still, those tunnels have to lead somewhere, don’t they? What if there’s something deep in those tunnels that’ll help us get out this hellhole?”</p>
<p>“You may be right, and the same could be said for the basement. What if we break into two groups: I can search the basement level, and you can search the tunnels?”</p>
<p>Isaac scowled.</p>
<p>“You’ll need someone to watch your back, and Richard is—”</p>
<p>“Still in the action.”</p>
<p>The two of them turned to see Richard slowly sitting up, holding a hand to his head as he winced. He swung his legs over the cot and hunched over, heaving a sigh as he absentmindedly ran his hands over his bandages.</p>
<p>“I’m still alive, and I can still help. I was in and out, but I was able to hear what you two were saying. If that many of us have died so far then you’ll need all the help you can get.”</p>
<p>Richard tried his best to put on a brave smile.</p>
<p>“Well, it’s settled then. You and Richard can search the basement, and I’ll head back into the tunnels and see what’s going on in there. Sound like a plan?”</p>
<p>The other two STARS members nodded, Richard, picking up the shotgun that lay next to his cot and slinging it over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Then it’s settled. Be careful you two.” </p>
<p>He bade them both farewell before he left the safety of the infirmary and ventured back into the mansion’s killing ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jill hadn’t expected to see three undead dogs crash through the large picture windows of the corridor she’d been walking down, and she also hadn’t expected the door at the other end of the hall to suddenly fly open, Isaac running into the hall at top speed pursued by three Hunters.<br/>The two locked eyes with one another, both of them mouthing the same word.</p>
<p>“Trade?”</p>
<p>Isaac slid along the ground with his rifle past Jill, spraying three quick bursts from his rifle that chewed right through the dogs as they howled and whimpered as they were torn to shreds. Jill fired two acid rounds back to back at the Hunters chasing after Isaac, their shrieks music to her ears as they were reduced to writing piles of bone and steaming gore. With all hostiles eliminated, each of them nearly collapsed as the adrenaline left their bodies.</p>
<p>“Perfect timing, Isaac.”</p>
<p>“I could say the same for you.”</p>
<p>Jill reloaded her launcher as Isaac slung his rifle over his shoulder.</p>
<p>“I heard your message over the radio. Is it really true?”</p>
<p>He nodded, his expression grim.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Enrico was shot right in front of me from someone hiding in the shadows. I didn’t even hear them come down there. All I know is that someone within STARS is apparently a traitor and that Umbrella has a huge role in this. This is insane: monsters, a traitor, and some kind of conspiracy involving Umbrella? None of us asked to be a part of this.”</p>
<p>“And yet here we are. When you think about it like that, I guess it does kind of make sense. If Umbrella is connected to the murders happening around town and found out that some of the RPD’s finest were poking their noses into it, it would make sense that they would want us removed from the equation.”</p>
<p>“And that would add weight to Enrico’s claims. Still, who could the traitor be?”</p>
<p>Jill’s fists clenched. She had a sneaking suspicion, but she didn’t want it to be true. No, it couldn’t be him. Of all people…</p>
<p>“I just came from the infirmary. Richard’s awake and he’s with Rebecca. We’ve decided to split into two groups to cover more ground. Rebecca and Richard are gonna search the basement, and I’m gonna check out the underground tunnels via the graveyard.”</p>
<p>“I found some kind of hatch in the mansion library that leads down into some kind of underground area. What are the odds that each of these pathways connects to one another?” </p>
<p>Isaac shrugged.</p>
<p>“Only one way to find out. Keep that radio on. Even though they’re barely connecting, you never know if you’ll really be able to get through. Good luck, Jill.”</p>
<p>“Same to you.”</p>
<p>The two of them parted ways, once again, each of them venturing off into the unknown.</p>
<p>Isaac couldn’t help but stop and kneel before Enrico’s body when he finally re-entered the tunnel system. He reached out to the deceased man and closed his eyes.</p>
<p>“We’re gonna find who did this, Captain. I swear.”</p>
<p>He rose to his feet and ventures deeper into the tunnels, his heart racing as the oil lanterns above began to appear less frequently, leaving him to rely solely on his flashlight for guidance. No, that wasn’t true. There were still many lanterns spread throughout the tunnels, but they were all unlit. As he continued to walk further through the tunnels, the area around him changed. The walls and ground which consisted of a dirt path and stone walls suddenly became concrete floors and filthy brick walls. The floor was littered with dead rats and the air was heavy with the scent of mold and mildew combined with the natural scent of the earth.</p>
<p>Isaac soon found himself standing in what he could only describe as some sort of jailhouse. He stood in a rectangular space in which he saw a metal table with a few chairs pulled up to it. Two separate hallways led to rows upon rows of rooms with steel doors with what appeared to be heavy electromagnetic locks embedded within the doors. Each of these rooms appeared to be cells. Within these cells were the dried foul-smelling husks of human beings that had apparently starved to death. However, there was one cell that stood out from the rest. This cell was the foulest smelling of them all, the odor being a toxic cocktail of chemicals, blood, rot, and human feces. He aimed the beam through the doorway to notice that the door had been smashed open, a massive dent in the metal and loose wires hanging from the mag-lock mechanism. The interior of the cell was something out of a nightmare: a single bed with once-white linens were covered in reddish-brown stains, blood smeared on the walls with the words ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ written God knew how many times. In one corner of the room was an overturned wheelchair covered in a dense layer of dust, one of the wheels torn off. As Isaac fixed his flashlight once again on the bed, he could clearly see that there were leather restraints attached to the bed to hold down someone’s wrists and ankles. Whoever this cell belonged to had clearly escaped quite some time ago.</p>
<p>Walking away from the cell, Isaac walked further down the hallway to see a bright green light up ahead. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was an elevator panel, the elevator door hidden by the heavy darkness. Pressing the button, the door slid open, casting Isaac in bright light. Stepping inside with the door sliding shut behind him, pressed the one glowing button that was on the panel since he was already on an upper level. The elevator traveled deeper into the underground world, stopping after a few moments only for the door to slide open and reveal a large industrial-like space with a familiar insignia painted onto one of the walls.</p>
<p>The iconic red and white Umbrella emblem.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Sacrifices</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From the main hall was a door that led into what Rebecca initially believed would be some kind of basement area. After she and Richard descended down a flight of stairs into a moderately sized dark room, both officers were surprised to find a large industrial lift in the center of the room. It was surrounded by a wrought iron gate with a single series of sliding double doors with a single green glowing LED light attached to what appeared to be the mag-lock holding it shut. </p><p>“I can see the terminal up ahead for working the lift. Still, where does it lead to?”</p><p>Richard shrugged before approaching the terminal and pulling a lever, the mag-lock releasing before the doors slid open.</p><p>“Hopefully, a way out.”</p><p>The lift shuddered and groaned before making its descent, Rebecca tightly gripping her pistol as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. Her first serious mission and everything has gone to hell and then some. Most of her squad-mates her now dead, and it seemed more and likely that what they were heading into was something far worse than anything they’d encountered so far if that was even possible.</p><p>“Guns up! I hear something.” Richard said to her as he raised his shotgun, keeping it trained on the door in front of him.</p><p> Rebecca kept her weapon raised as the lift groaned to a halt before a large metal door, a panel on the side with a flashing red LED light. Next to the panel lying in a puddle of blood was a cadaver in a white lab coat. His head had been torn off with incredible force, according to his jagged stump and damaged exposed spinal column. Wrapped around his wrist was a lanyard containing a white keycard.</p><p>Rebecca stooped down and picked it up, sliding it through the card reader before stuffing it into one of the pockets on her belt.</p><p>As the door slid open, she couldn’t help but release a slight shriek as a horde of lab coat clad undead were waiting for them.<br/>“Back up! Back up!” Richard shouted as he unloaded his first shell of many into one of their skulls, its head exploding in a wave of gore that painted the other incoming undead. Rebecca squeezed down the trigger on her Samurai Edge as the two of them fought off the horde, pushing their way into the hall in which they came.</p><p>When they’d taken them all down, Rebecca and Richard did a sweep of their newfound surroundings: some sort of industrial location with wide halls and miscellaneous crates lying here and there. Printed onto these crates: the Umbrella Corp emblem. </p><p>Rebecca could feel the hundreds of questions filling her mind as she saw the emblem, but remained focused not he task at hand. They turned down one hall that had a set fo stairs leading to a lower level. She and Richard quickly pushed further into the mysterious facility until they came upon another door locked via a keycard panel. Richard stood on one side of the door whilst Rebecca stood on the other. He kept his finger hovering over the trigger as Rebecca swiped the keycard. As the door slid open the two officers immediately heard shouting and gunfire coming from within. </p><p>“Back off you sack of shit!”</p><p>Rebecca’s eyes widened as she faced Richard.</p><p>“That’s Isaac!”</p><p>“Push in!”</p><p>They entered an expansive, circular laboratory that was partially underwater. She and Richard stood on an elevated platform that stood above another level that had been completely flooded. Swimming within this large body of water a shark: the largest shark she’d ever seen in her lifetime. (Well, it was the only shark she’d ever seen in person but damn if it wasn’t massive). The beast was covered in dozens among dozens of deep scars and was almost as large as a bus. Isaac stood at the end of one platform as he fired his pistol at the thing as it slammed its body into the platform, stirring the water and causing the platform to shake violently as Isaac was thrown against the railing. </p><p>Rebecca and Richard opened fire, a few rounds sparking off the railing as the shark suddenly dived beneath the surface.<br/>“Guys, it’s coming over to you! Watch out!”</p><p>The shark slammed its body into the platform the two of them stood on, Rebecca thrown off of her feet as Richard struggled to maintain his balance.</p><p>“I’m gonna fall in! I’m—”</p><p>The shark suddenly launched itself out of the water its great maw wide open as it prepared to devour the young medic. Richard shoved her out the way just as the shark clamped its rows of razor-sharp teeth down upon him. Without so much as a scream, Richard was pulled under the water’s surface, the water running red with his blood as he was devoured by the beast.</p><p>“Richard!” Rebecca’s scream was shrill. “Richard! No! Fuck!”</p><p>Isaac spotted a nearby terminal, its wires partially severed and crackling with electricity. Connected to it was another terminal with a lever and several other blinking LEDs.</p><p>Isaac made a mad dash for the ruined terminal, kicking it into the water before grabbing the lever on the power control panel and pulling the lever. The water flashed a brilliant blue as several thousand volts was pumped into the water, the shark’s body contorting beneath the surface as every nerve in its body seized, its brain melting into nothing as the power did its work. </p><p>The terminal suddenly exploded, sending Isaac flying back and landing hard onto his back as pieces of heated shrapnel cut into his face and exposed flesh. An alarm began to blare as red lights within the room flashed, the water level decreasing as a series of drains suddenly opened on the lower level. Within seconds, the entire room had been drained of water, exposing a series of destroyed computer terminals, bloated corpses, and a deceased mutated shark.</p><p>A center stairwell connected the two platforms and led to the bottom level, Isaac rising on shaking legs as he carefully made his way towards Rebecca, slipping and sliding on wet metal as the two officers reunited.</p><p>The moment they were within two feet of each other, Rebecca wrapped her arms around Isaac, squeezing him in a sudden embrace as she struggled to contain the cocktail of emotions stirring within her. Fear, regret, anger, loss, and hate.<br/>“There was nothing I could do…it just happened so fast.” She choked out.</p><p>“I know, and I am so sorry.”</p><p>The two of them stood there in silence until they heard the familiar click of a weapon. They immediately pulled apart, Isaac turning around to find a large caliber handgun pointed in his face.</p><p>Another set of footprints came from behind Rebecca, the medic turning around to find Barry Burton aiming his magnum directly at her head.</p><p>“B-Barry? What are you doing?”</p><p>Isaac kept his gaze focused on the man in front of him, heart racing and his blood turning to ice as he looked into the black tinted lenses of the man who’d called Captain. The man he hadn’t seen in hours, the man with the blonde movie-star hair and an all-black uniform.</p><p>Albert Wesker.</p><p>“So it was you.”</p><p>Wesker grinned, something he wasn’t used to seeing but still managed to unsettle the two young officers as the weapons remained trained on them. </p><p>“Perceptive, and that was one of the factors that got you this job. While I usually prefer to work alone, Barry here needed a little motivation to get him going. Keep a team of armed men positioned outside his house with lots of guns and lots of time, and you’d be surprised at how much his performance improves.”</p><p>Barry couldn’t look Rebecca in the eye as he kept his gun pointed at her. Despite this, the look in his own eyes was clear. He would regret this for a long time. Isaac empathized with the man, however. Barry’s family meant everything to him. For Wesker to exploit that and get the man to do his dirty work only went to show that Wesker truly was their enemy.</p><p>“What the hell is all of this, Wesker? Why is there a lab underneath the mansion? What’s up with all of the monstrosities roaming around trying to kill us? And how the hell is Umbrella involved in all of this?”</p><p>“Obedience breeds discipline. Discipline breeds unity. Unity breeds power. Power is life. Our business is life itself. These are the famous words that are the driving force behind the Umbrella Corporation. To create lifeforms far more advanced than the human race could ever be is their dream. Take a look around you, Isaac. What do you see? All of this equipment, all of these unfortunate souls lost to the T-Virus, what do you believe, Mr. Holiday?”</p><p>“It would seem to me that you guys are developing bioweapons. Some notes I found mentioned a project gone too far. This T-Virus is the cause of everything, isn’t it? Those dogs in the woods, those infected flesh-eaters, everything. And who the hell is benefitting from these weapons? The U.S government? Some other nations? How long—”</p><p>“Umbrella has been a force to reckon with for quite some time now, much longer before the two of you were even born. As you can see, the virus managed to escape from the lab, infecting all personnel and leaving chaos in its wake. Some infected subjects even managed to escape to the outskirts of the city, as the ‘unexplained murders’ you all had been looking into would indicate. There was far too much pressure, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. While I clean up this little spill, why not have the RPD’s finest face off against Umbrella’s creations? After all, the combat data you’ve gathered for me has been quite informative.”</p><p>Isaac was seething as he was forced to listen to Wesker’s smugness, wanting nothing more than to beat the everlasting shit out of the man who had gotten so many of their comrades killed.</p><p>“You led us into a fucking death trap just to gather data. How are you okay with having so much blood on your hands you asshole!”</p><p>Wesker raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“You should be the last person to lecture me on that subject. After all, you were a mercenary, weren’t you? Let’s see if I remember this correctly…Isaac Holiday, callsign: Joker. Connected to an estimated 127 deaths, including the assassination of a drug lord operating within a coastal city in Asia. 127 is a large number, but you’ve been linked to a number of other high profile deaths as well. Are you really going to lecture me about having blood on my hands? After all, it would seem that your kill count is far higher than mine.”</p><p>Isaac froze on the spot, the color draining from his face as Rebecca’s eyes widened. </p><p>“Isaac? Are you—”</p><p>“Now, what do you say we connect you with the rest of the team? Ms. Valentine and Mr. Redfield are awaiting your arrival, Rebecca. After all, I do have a little something to show all of you. Meanwhile, this is where we part ways, Isaac. You’ve provided me with some excellent data, and I cannot thank you enough. Now then…”</p><p>Rebecca screamed as Wesker unloaded the full magazine of the Desert Eagle into Isaac, the high powered rounds tearing through his vest and punching through his body as he violently jerked in reaction to the blasts.</p><p>As Isaac fell backward and landed hard onto the floor, the world around him began to swim and fade. </p><p>“Your services are no longer required,” Wesker said before loading in a fresh magazine and firing one final round into his chest.</p><p>“No!” Rebecca screamed.</p><p>Barry was taken aback, the arm that held his magnum lowering as he watched the scene play out before him in shock.</p><p>“I thought we were bringing him along alive, Wesker! You never said you would be killing him!” He shouted in rage.</p><p>“Things change, Barry. And be sure to keep yourself together. After all, it would be a shame if you had to bury a wife and two children tomorrow. Now, let’s go.”</p><p>Tears streamed down Rebecca’s face as Wesker grabbed the young woman and walked her toward a door at the other end of the hall, Barry following close behind.</p><p>Isaac lay there on the cold, wet floor of the laboratory, a large pool of blood forming around his still body as he stared into the ceiling with glassy eyes.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. By the skin of their teeth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The nightmare ends.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For now.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jill’s hands were bound tightly in wire, her left eye swollen after Wesker took her by surprise, and pistol-whipped her. Jill was tough, but that was the hardest she’d been hit by another person in a long time, and blunt force trauma to the head was the last thing she’d wanted to experience when she woke up that morning.</p>
<p>Chris Redfield had his hands free, but was currently being held at gunpoint by Barry. While Jill was still woozy from her little encounter with Wesker earlier, she couldn’t help but stare in awe at the genetic monstrosities surrounding them. </p>
<p>Floating in gigantic tanks that were spread across the entire lab were creatures of varying forms: some humanoid, some completely alien. The masses of flesh within the tanks were so hideous, so severely deformed that the fact that they were human-based lifeforms made Jill shiver to the core. Simultaneously, it enraged her. These creatures were bastardizations of the human form. The monsters created by Umbrella were exactly that: monsters. Beings that had no business walking on the earth. Yet here they were, all because Umbrella needed to break nature’s laws in order to make a profit, to create this ‘perfect world’ that they so often dreamed of apparently.</p>
<p>However, the most monstrous form in the room was eight-foot-tall giant currently floating within the tank in front of her. Its body was incredibly muscular, with blood vessels that bulged against its pallid flesh. Its face appeared partially decomposed, its front rows of teeth on full display giving it a ghastly smirk. Its most notable features were the enlarged beating heart on the outside of its chest and the massive claw making up its left hand.</p>
<p>Rebecca stood beside Jill, her eyes were bloodshot and her face slick with tears. The moment she’d walked in, she’d informed the both of them that Richard had been killed and that Wesker had shot Isaac to death mere moments after. </p>
<p>Jill shot a hateful look toward Wesker who was busy typing away on the terminal next to the other monstrosity floating within the tank.</p>
<p>“You’re just a slave of Umbrella, you know that, right?” She shot at him, her fists clenched.</p>
<p>“Smart girl, but none of that truly matters, anyway. Soon, you’ll be free of all of this. I plan on burning down this entire facility, and I’m afraid that includes you. As I’m sure you’ve heard, STARS is finished.” </p>
<p>He stopped operating the terminal and turned to face her, pointing his pistol at Jill and Chris.</p>
<p>“Barry, go up on the ground and wait there.” He ordered the man, Barry turning and leaving the laboratory with his shoulders slumped.</p>
<p>Wesker chuckled.</p>
<p>“You gotta love Barry. He must truly be afraid of Umbrella.”</p>
<p>Chris scoffed.</p>
<p>“You and Umbrella took his family, you bastard!”</p>
<p>Wesker trained his Samurai Edge on Chris and squeezed the trigger, firing a round into his shoulder. Chris hissed was sent careening back into one of the glass tanks behind him, holding his arm to his shoulder to stem the blood flow.</p>
<p>Wesker grinned with malice.</p>
<p>“Umbrella? Well, I used some carrots and sticks to cow him, but it had nothing to do with Umbrella. I simply used him for my personal interests. Though all of you seem to think that I was following orders from Umbrella.”</p>
<p>Jill narrowed her eyes at the traitor.</p>
<p>“What the hell are you planning?”</p>
<p>“I guess it’s time for a little show and tell.” He said gleefully as he typed a command into the nearby terminal.</p>
<p>The fluids within the tank holding the creature began to bubble.</p>
<p>“Still, this is all so unfortunate. While I do hate goodbyes, it’s a shame that I cannot even spare you, Rebecca. You were always my favorite.” He said as he looked her up and down, Rebecca’s stomach-churning in disgust as the man she thought to be her superior undressed her with his eyes. </p>
<p>He pointed his gun at the restrained Jill first when a series of gunshots erupted within the lab, Wesker crying out in shock as Barry Burton’s .44 magnum rounds punched through Wesker's shoulder and sent him crashing back into the terminal.</p>
<p>Barry stood behind them all as smoke curled off the barrel of his revolver. Hanging onto Barry’s shoulder and barely clinging to life was Isaac, his entire uniform drenched in blood as he struggled to stand on his own two feet. His eyes were barely open as blood continued to pool on the floor at his feet.</p>
<p>“I’m…not dying in a shithole like this.” He murmured before falling off of Barry’s shoulder and crashing to the ground.</p>
<p>Rebecca ran to his side and tried applying pressure to his wounds immediately.</p>
<p>“He’s bleeding out! We need to get him out of here! Now!” She shouted.</p>
<p>Barry ran over to Jill and severed her bonds with his knife as Chris rose to his feet and ran over to Rebecca and the critically injured Isaac. Meanwhile, Wesker writhed on the ground nursing his gunshot wounds.</p>
<p>Then they all heard the crack.</p>
<p>Their attention went immediately to the tank that held the creature. Its eyes were wide open, and there was a large fissure in the glass from where its fist had struck it. The glass shattered at the monster threw its body through it, landing onto the ground before them and fixing its dead eyes onto Jill and Barry.</p>
<p>“This is the ultimate life form,” Wesker shouted with glee. “The Tyrant!”</p>
<p>The monster stalked towards Jill and Barry who had their weapons raised.</p>
<p>“You want a piece of me you freak!” Barry shouted as he kept his gun trained on the beast.</p>
<p>The monster suddenly stopped, turning its attention onto Wesker.</p>
<p>“No, what are you doing! Kill them! Kill—”</p>
<p>The Tyrant drew back its massive claw and drove them through Wesker’s torso, blood erupting from his mouth as his organs were punctured, a few strands of his intestines falling loose from the new tears in his body. Blood rained from above as the Tyrant swiped its claw outward, Wesker’s corpse flying off of its claws and crashing into another tank as it collapsed into a wet heap, his innards spilling out of his ruined body as his aviators shattered and fell from his blood-streaked face. </p>
<p>“Chris and Rebecca! You guys get Isaac out of here! There’s a lift that’ll take you to a helipad outside. We’ll take care of this son of a bitch!” He called back to them as they hauled Isaac away.</p>
<p>Turning their attention to the monster before them, the two officers ran in two directions, each one unloading their weapons into the Tyrant as it immediately went for Jill. It swiped at her with her claw, Jill rolling out of the way as a glass tank exploded upon contact with the monster’s blow, fluid flying everywhere as the subject within fell onto the floor only to be squished underfoot by the Tyrant. Barry blasted a hole into the side of its head, swearing under his breath as he struggled to reload his revolver as the Tyrant charged him next. The big man barely managed to sidestep as its claws tore through the ground where he’d once stood. Jill leaped onto the monsters back, plunging her knife into face and heart as many times as she could as blood splattered her arms, face, and the rest of her uniform. She jumped off its back just as Barry fired another round into its heart, the organ exploding in a shower of viscera causing the Tyrant to faceplate onto the ground. It did not rise again.</p>
<p>“Holy shit, you’re an amazon Jill,” Barry said as he clapped his exhausted partner on the shoulder, Jill hunched over as she struggled to regain her breath.</p>
<p>“Let’s celebrate later. For now, we need to get the fuck outta here.”</p>
<p>Barry nodded in agreement as they headed for the lab’s exit, the trail of blood Isaac left behind adding to their concern. <br/>“I shut down the jammer earlier, so we should be able to reach Brad and get out of this place,” Barry said as he pushed the button to summon the lift, the door sliding open immediately. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, in the lab, Wesker’s seemingly lifeless corpse twitched.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The elevator came to a stop, the door sliding open to reveal a dimly lit hallway. As they stepped off, alarms began to blare as red emergency lights began to flash.</p>
<p>“Self-destruct sequence has been initiated. All personnel are to evacuate immediately.” Came an automated voice that resonated throughout the entire facility.</p>
<p>The two of them ran as fast as they could through the halls, passing through dark corridors where wandering infected attempted to lunge at them from the darkness only to be blown away by either Jill’s Samurai Edge or Barry’s magnum. They fought their way the errant undead until they finally reached the lift that Barry had mentioned before. After entering the lift and waiting with bated breath to reach the top, Jill’s radio crackled to life, a familiar voice crying out from within.</p>
<p>“This is Brad Vickers! Is there anyone alive down there! This is your final chance for a rescue! I repeat, this is your final chance for a rescue!”</p>
<p>Jill held down the speaker button as she urgently responded.</p>
<p>“This is Jill! We hear you loud and clear! Meet us at the helipad! We can—”</p>
<p>“I can see you guys! Someone just shot up a flare!”</p>
<p>Rebecca and Chris had come through!</p>
<p>“Please hurry! One of us is in critical condition and is barely holding on!”</p>
<p>“I’ll be there as fast as I can!” Brad said over the radio.</p>
<p>When the lift stopped, the door slid open and Jill found herself blinded by the harsh morning light. The sky was overcast, but openings within the clouds above allowed some rays of sun to filter through. Still, it was a welcome sight after enduring so many horrors in the dark that night.</p>
<p>Rebecca and Chris kneeled by Isaac’s side as Rebecca’s med-pack lay open on the asphalt of the helipad. His vest and shirt had been stripped away as Chris helped her attempt to stem the blood flow and stabilize him to the best of their ability. </p>
<p>“I’ve managed to slow his bleeding, but we need to get him back to the city as fast as we can. He needs a blood transfusion!”</p>
<p>As Jill kept her eyes on the sky, she spotted the familiar STARS chopper approaching them, and for just a moment, Jill truly believed that the nightmare was finally over…until the ground near the lift exploded, the Tyrant climbing forth from the gaping hole and releasing an unearthly roar.</p>
<p>“You’ve gotta be shitting me!” Jill cried as she raised her pistol and opened fire once again. </p>
<p>The helicopter hovered above the scene, Brad’s voice crackling over the radio once again.</p>
<p>“Heads up! Kill that fucking thing so I can land!”</p>
<p>Jill spotted a large object falling from the helicopter and landing a few feet away from her. She recognized the familiar green weapon immediately, running at full speed and sliding along the wet asphalt as she picked it up, her finger hovering above its trigger.</p>
<p>“Barry! Move out the way so I can get a clear shot!” Barry did as he was told and dived for cover as the Tyrant made its way toward Jill.</p>
<p>She squeezed the rocket launcher’s trigger, sending four rocket-propelled grenades flying at the monster. The explosion knocked Jill off her feet, her ears ringing as she was enveloped in a sudden wave of heat. Jill crashed unceremoniously to the ground, coughing and sputtering as the rancid scent of burning flesh filled her nostrils. Flaming bits of flesh rained from above as the Tyrant’s lower torso collapsed onto the ground in a smoking pool of gore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The flight back into the city was a silent one, as Rebecca continued to tend to Isaac’s wounds while Brad asked a million questions. Jill couldn’t help but sigh in relief when she heard the earth-shattering boom of the mansion exploding, incinerating every single monstrosity within the walls of that accursed place. As they flew off into the sunrise, Jill couldn’t shake the shiver going up her spine.</p>
<p>One nightmare had come to an end, but surely, another was coming sooner than they’d thought.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All hell seemingly broke loose from a professional standpoint when the helicopter landed on the roof of Raccoon City Hospital. EMTs were already waiting when Brad put the call in that they had a man on the verge of death and in immediate need of medical treatment. The moment people saw that helicopter landing, the media came in droves: reporters demanded to know which room the injured room was staying in, and of course they had to be escorted out by security and police forces alike. While Chris and Isaac received medical attention at the hospital, Brad transported the remaining officers back to the RPD to deliver an immediate report on everything that had happened.</p>
<p>It was at this point that things went terribly wrong. </p>
<p>Police Chief Brian Irons truly showed his true colors that morning, dismissing their seemingly outrageous claims that Umbrella Pharmaceuticals was responsible for the deaths of not only all of their comrades, but also dismissed their claims that the company was using their legitimate research as a front to conduct their highly illegal bioweapons development program. Unfortunately for them, all of the physical evidence had been destroyed when the mansion exploded. </p>
<p>In the end, Jill had to be held back by two officers as she attempted to assault the chief. This act of aggression resulted in Jill Valentine being suspended from STARS, the chief claiming that  while he should have had her fired, that they could still use a person with her skillset. (This statement earned him a double middle finger from Ms. Valentine as she was escorted out of the building.)</p>
<p>Rebecca, in the meantime, simply went home, showered, grabbed a bite to eat, and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. After the everything she’d gone through that night, and the absolute indignation she’d felt delivering her report, she was glad that she’d been given time off to recuperate from…well, everything. </p>
<p>Still, as she lay back on her bed, slowly drifting off to sleep, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming their way, something big, and when it arrived, none of them would be ready to face it.<br/>Lydia Richards took a drag from her cigarette as she sat in front of the TV, arms folded across her chest as she watched the news display the photos of the now-deceased members of STARS that had been killed on their last mission. Nearly the entire force had been wiped out, with only five of them remaining, one of them being in critical condition. </p>
<p>“Well, this is certainly a fucking mess.” She murmured between puffs as she leaned back onto the sofa and heaved a big sigh. With most of them dead, that was fewer people she could get information from. Still, Lydia had a job to do.</p>
<p>Chris Redfield had skipped town entirely the last time she checked, and Isaac Holiday was still recovering at the hospital. So, that left Jill Valentine and Rebecca Chambers. Those two were her best bet to fill in the blanks regarding what had gone down that night at in the mountains. </p>
<p>In the meantime, she’d gotten a tip-off from Ben in regard to one of Umbrella’s supposed facilities. Construction was being done a few blocks from the police station, resulting in what appeared to be a large sinkhole in the middle of a currently blocked off-street. Based on the photos she’d received from Ben, there were a series of scaffoldings she’d be able to use to get access to the sewer network with, allegedly, leads to a secret laboratory. </p>
<p>She had stashed a metal case underneath her bed for safekeeping. Pulling it from underneath the bed and unlatching it, it opened to reveal a custom M1911 and a Ruger Redhawk .357 magnum. Alongside each weapon were magazines and speedloaders alike. Of course, she’d come here prepared. After all, with the information she currently had on Umbrella, she couldn’t afford to take any chances.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As odd as it may sound, Rebecca loved the sound of the heart monitor. There was something about that steady beep that put her body at ease as she sat in Isaac’s room, watching his chest rise and fall as he rested.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I ever thanked you for the pep talk you gave me back at the mansion. Even when things were getting worse, you kept insisting on moving forward. We barely managed to escape, but we’re living proof of that escape, you know? What you said to me back then—it gave me strength. Still, things aren’t going to be easy, moving on from now. Umbrella is still seen as innocent, and Jill has been suspended from the force. Chris left town, and as of now, I’m currently on leave. Still, I want you to know that I’m going to be there for you, from now on.  As you are now, you can’t fight for yourself. So, I’m going to protect you, and as many others as I can. Until we can finally take down Umbrella.”</p>
<p>Her jade eyes burned with determination, and her fists were clenched within her lap.</p>
<p>As much as the future terrified her, as much as she couldn’t shake that sense of dread building within her, Rebecca focused on the task at hand. Isaac needed her help, and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t look after him.</p>
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